I'm afraid so, guys. Rather a lot of evidence suggests that this will be the last ever series of Sherlock. At the very least, it looks like it won't return for an even longer stretch than usual (i.e. upwards of three years).
First of all, our worries were sparked when Steven Moffat had this to say:
“I don’t know how long we can keep [Sherlock] going. I would be moderately surprised if this was the last time we ever made this show. But it absolutely could be.”
Benedict Cumberbatch then added fuel to the flames:
“It feels like the end of an era, to be honest. It goes to a place where it will be pretty hard to follow on immediately.”
While ominous, these statements should be taken with a pinch of salt, however. Elsewhere, Moffat and Gatiss have also discussed having plans for a fifth series and Cumberbatch later altered his statement to "it's the last one for now."
With the climactic, darker nature of this season, though, and the increasingly busy schedule of its stars, it wouldn't be too surprising if Sherlock did call it a day. If this is the end, all we can hope is that it will go out on a high.
How many of these theories do you think are plausible? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
