Following the season 4 finale of "Sherlock," word is now spreading that this may mark as the final season of the hit Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer.
"Sherlock" is that kind of show that has amassed a huge amount of following since its debut. This is due to the amazing performance of Cumberbatch and his co-star Martin Freeman as his sidekick, Watson. But the former's schedule has affected the show's production over the years, delaying each season's premiere two years after another.
To note, Cumberbatch has just recently joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Strange. He is also set to reprise the character on the upcoming "Thor: Ragnarok," which means that his schedule will be more filled-up.
Now that "Sherlock" has wrapped up Season 4, it's no longer a surprise why people are feeling a little bit uncertain about its future. To address this, co-creators Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss hashed out this matter in an interview with Deadline.
"If this is the last time - and I'm not planning on it to be, but it might be - it is possible that we could end it with this episode. We couldn't have ended it on any of the previous series because there was what have been great cliffhangers," Moffatt told the publication.
Added Gatiss, "It may be the final problem, you never know. I think what has actually happened is we have now done the story of how the Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson that you've always known became those men. It's actually a backstory and we never intended it to be."
Should "Sherlock" returns for a fifth season, however, Gatiss said that the premiere will "absolutely start with a knock on the door and Sherlock saying, 'Do you want to come out and play?'"
Sherlock's season 4 finale ranked as the show's lowest rating to date. Per Deadline's ratings report, the final hour was watched by 5.9 million viewers on BBC One.
No word yet from Cumberbatch and Freeman about the show's future.