'Sherlock' producer says season 4 story is 'devastating'

One of the biggest awards surprise Monday night at the Nokia Theatre: Perpetual bridesmaid Sherlock suddenly winning three Emmys, including honors for stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, as well as writer-producer Steve Moffat. The actors were absent, but Moffat was on hand to talk to reporters backstage after his big win and he gave some season 4 scoop.

Asked if the previously announced season 4 can top this Emmy-winning season, Moffat replied: “We have a plan to top it. And I do think our plan is devastating. We’ve practically reduced our cast to tears telling them the plan … we’re probably more excited that we’ve ever been about Sherlock.”

At the HBO after-party, fellow Sherlock writer-producer and actor Mark Gatiss teased a little more about season 4: “We’re going to try to take it somewhere we’ve never been before — and I don’t mean outer space,” he said. “It will be challenging place to go. We always start with a re-introduction that builds toward a darker climax — we might just be going darker [from the outset]. We got a very, very good set of ideas.”

Backstage, Moffat also revealed he doesn’t look at Sherlock-obsessed social site Tumblr (“We have to stay away from it, particularly me. My friends keep saying ‘don’t go on Tumblr, they’re tremendously cross'”) and noted his surprise at Sherlock‘s winning streak. “I didn’t think we’d win anything,” he said. “I’m a bit worried about rewinding and seeing my speech … we were just starting to think that phase [of getting awards attention] was dying down … hopefully more people will watch it.”