"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch hints to UK GQ Magazine that the upcoming fourth season of the show may indeed be its last.
"It might be the end of an era," Cumberbatch told GQ UK in a recent interview. He also added that Season 4 "goes to a place where it will be pretty hard to follow on immediately."
While this news may sadden a lot of devoted fans, this is hardly unexpected as both Cumberbatch and co-star Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) are busy with their respective movie careers, starring in big-budget blockbusters. Cumberbatch stars in Marvel's new "Doctor Strange" movie that is set for release in November of this year. Its showrunner Steven Moffat is also busy with another British TV classic "Doctor Who", so scheduling for filming the show would be very difficult.
At the San Diego Comic-Con in July this year, Moffat and co-creator Mark Gatis did not give any assurances to fans that there would be a Season 5. But they also did not intend to end the show by its fourth season. They said in previous interviews, however, that the fourth season could be the darkest thing they could have written for the show, as reported by Deadline.
The BBC-produced crime drama last aired its regular season episodes in 2014. A January 2016 special "The Abominable Bride" was aired and was simulcast in British cinemas. The special was also shown in select cinemas throughout the United States. A fourth series has been commissioned and filming began April 2016. In May, it was announced that Toby Jones had been cast as the new villain from Sherlock Holmes lore.
The show's critical reception has been highly positive. It has been nominated for various awards including the BAFTAs, Emmys, and the Golden Globes.
In the 2011 BAFTA awards, the show won the award for Best Drama Series, while Freeman won the award for the Best Supporting Actor. In the 2014 Emmys, the show won Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries for Cumberbatch, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries for Freeman. Two years later, it won Outstanding Television Movie for "The Abominable Bride." In addition, the show was also honored with a Peabody Award in 2011.