Steven Moffat has been a fixture of English culture for many years now, and his work on Dr. Who alone would qualify him as something of a nerd deity, considering he's one of the people who decide where the Tardis goes. In recent years, however, his stock has risen even higher thanks to his work on the BBC's most recent take on Sherlock Holmes, the appropriately named Sherlock, which is about to enter its fourth season or, per the English parlance, series. And to hear Moffat talk about it in a recent interview with The Telegraph, this could be the last couple of episodes for this iteration of the classic detective.

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Image via PBS

During his talk with the Telegraph, Moffat commented that he's amazed that Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, who play Holmes and his colleague Watson respectively, have been able to keep up with the shooting schedule. He's not wrong: both actors have been in high demand, with Freeman having appeared in this summer's Captain America: Civil War and likely to appear in Ryan Coogler's anticipated Black Panther. In Cumberbatch's case, it's even worse and he's a few months from headlining his own Marvel movie with Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange.  As Moffat says, "I don't know how long we can keep it going," and though he says he'd be surprised if this was the last series, he would also completely understand if the next season was the last.


It's a sad thought, but like Moffat, I can't say it's hard to see why TV shows would take a second seat to Marvel movies and big dramatic roles that could put either actor in the running for an Oscar. Still, fingers crossed that this is just Moffat's nerves for the moment. You can check out his full comment and a new Sherlock image from Season 4 right below.

Here's what Moffat had to say about the future of Sherlock:

“I don’t know how long we can keep it going. I’m personally willing but I’m hardly the main draw. I would be moderately surprised if this was the last time we ever made this show. But it absolutely could be.”

Here's the new image of Cumberbatch's sleuthing hero...with an awesome bloodhound:

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Image via BBC
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Image via PBS

sherlock-abominable-bride-martin-freeman-benedict-cumberbatch
Image via PBS