7 Reasons Sherlock Series 4 Should Be The Last

7. It's 'Elementary', Unfortunately.

Series one and two of 'Sherlock' were an exciting new take on the original Holmes stories. Taking concepts and ideas from the canon and retooling them for the modern day. The exploration of the relationship between Holmes and Watson - one of the most reknowned double-acts in fiction - gave the show an extra edge that made it as much a human drama as an adventure.

A shift occurred in the third series and character was a much bigger focus than it had been before. This is no bad thing, except that it totally eclipsed the mystery and plot, which became background noise that the writers seemed to return to reluctantly. For Steven Moffat, whose most famous work outside of 'Doctor Who' and 'Sherlock' was his sitcom 'Coupling', it's not surprising that he prefers writing character more than plot. But it doesn't really work in this context.

How and if the balance will be redressed in series four remains to be seen, but we can say with confidence that the writing team would rather be writing a more character-focused show. If that's the case, 'Sherlock' would be better off ending here while Moffat and Gatiss launch a new, character-driven series and stop riding the Holmes "brand" just for the sake of it. If you're just using the character names and none of the story...you've become 'Elementary'.