The year started with a magnificent comeback of the popular TV series "Sherlock" with Season 4. After a long break of 3 years, with a special episode in between, the show resumed with everyone's favourite detective, Sherlock Holmes trying to solve yet another mystery. But was the last episode of Season 4 also the series finale?

The ratings of "Sherlock" Season 4 were low, as compared to "Sherlock" Season 3. However, it still subsists as one of the most popular and highly rated TV series. Definitely ratings will not decide the future of this BBC series. If anything, it is because of the noncommittal remarks made by the cast and creative heads behind the TV which are hinting towards the end of the series.

"I don't know how long we can keep it going. I am 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," told co-creator Steven Moffat back in July 2016 itself. "There's never going to come a time when we do a longer run, because this is what the series has become. It's an occasional treat where you get three movies. It's how it works. That's why I think it's unlikely that we've completely finished it. There would be nothing strange in stopping for a while. It could go on forever, coming back now and again."

Moffat also called "Sherlock" Season 4 finale "a very, very finale finale", which reminds us of what Benedict Cumberbatch said to GQ earlier:

It might be the end of an era. 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. We never say never on the show. I'd love to revisit it, I'd love to keep revisiting it, I stand by that, but in the immediate future we all have things that we want to crack on with and we've made something very complete as it is, so I think we'll just wait and see. The idea of never playing him again is really galling.

BBC is surely not seeing "Sherlock" Season 5 next year, but that is not a surprise knowing that there is quite a big gap in between the seasons. BBC however, remains hopeful that "Sherlock" Season 5 may come back after two years.

However, if we look at certain hints about the last episode, "The Final Problem" ended with an epilogue like video recorded by Mary Watson to celebrate the legacy of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. It also depicted a refurbished and restored 221B Baker Street with glimpses of friends and family.