Season Four of BBC’s Sherlock might not return until 2016, despite rumors of a Christmas premiere.

Since its premiere in 2010, BCC’s popular series Sherlock has only aired nine episodes. Each episode is ninety minutes long, and the series as a whole has received positive reviews, but each new season comes with a two year wait.

“You see Sherlock’s return this season, but the show didn’t really explain what happened in his absence; there’s so much that you miss.” says sophomore Emily Langmeyer. “Moffat misses so many opportunities to explore life without Sherlock, and it wasn’t what you were expecting after a two year wait.”

“You know, we’ll do what we can,” said Moffat in an interview, “But with no sacrifice in quality — that’s the thing. If people have to wait two years, they’ll have to wait two years. When’s the next James Bond film? You know, it’s not that kind of show that turns up all the time. It’s just not. But the good news is, that probably means it will turn up sporadically for a very, very long while.”

Sherlock is a modern retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. The creators are Steven Moffat, the show runner for Doctor Who, and Mark Gatiss, who also works on Doctor Who and who plays Holmes’s brother, Mycroft Holmes, in Sherlock.

Emily Mariano comments, “It’s difficult being able to watch a complete season on Netflix and then not having a new episode come out for two years.”

The stars’ schedules also contribute to the years between seasons. Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Sherlock Holmes, has recently starred in Star Trek: Into Darkness, August: Osage County, 12 Years a Slave, the Desolation of Smaug, and other projects. Martin Freeman, Sherlock’s John Watson, plays Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit films.

Although no official air date has been announced, Sherlock fans should prepare themselves for another long wait.