The BBC series Sherlock episode in which Sherlock returns after his fall is titled “The Empty Hearse.” It opens the show’s third series and follows the aftermath of Sherlock Holmes’s apparent death at the end of series 2.
The episode begins two years after “The Reichenbach Fall,” with John believing Sherlock dead. Sherlock eventually reveals himself in London, but the story deliberately presents several imagined explanations for how he survived. These competing versions are comic reconstructions rather than a single immediate account, allowing the episode to explore public speculation and John’s emotional reaction.
“The Empty Hearse” also introduces Mary Morstan, played by Amanda Abbington, and shifts the series toward John’s new relationship. The title refers to the empty vehicle associated with Sherlock’s apparent death and echoes the Holmes tradition of mysterious disappearances. It was written by Mark Gatiss and first broadcast in 2014.