Rumors have been flying fast and furious for the past few weeks that the BBC's hit series "Sherlock," a modern reimagining of the great detective starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, would be returning sooner, rather than later. And now, it's been confirmed by the channel itself: "Sherlock" will return with a special, followed by three all new episodes.

First, there was a brief Twitter tease:

And then, it was confirmed:

That last tweet is a reference to the ending of the last episode of the show, which found spoilers Sherlock being exiled from the UK, only to immediately turn around once the face of his old, dead nemesis Moriarty showed up on every television screen in London with the ominous message, "Did you miss me?"

Lest you get too excited, just know that the brief wait teased by the BBC isn't all that brief: shooting won't begin on the special and new episodes until next year:

Does that mean the special will air in the UK during the Summer? Or will it wait until the traditional Christmas airing, as specials are wont to do across the pond? And will we colonials in the US have to wait even longer to see the new series aired on PBS?

No news on that either way, but just know that something is afoot: