This past Sunday, the fourth and potentially final season of BBC’s Sherlock came to a close. Overall, it was an uneven outing for a show which has gone awfully downhill in recent years, and the ratings only cemented that fact further. That being said, it’s still far from bad television and fans are hoping that “The Final Problem” wasn’t the last time the iconic detective will appear on their screens. Or at least, the last time he’ll appear in the form of Benedict Cumberbatch.
At this point, we really don’t know what’s going to happen with Sherlock, but it’s not looking too good. The biggest problem seems to be the one thing that’s been an obstacle the whole way through, and that’s scheduling. As both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman become more and more popular in Hollywood, it’s getting increasingly difficult to find the time to shoot the show, hence why there was such a long wait between season 3 and 4.
However, scheduling issues aside, there may be one other reason why Sherlock won’t continue, and that’s because of the apparently “frosty” relationship between its two stars. You’d think that after having spent all those years working together on the series, not to mention making a few films with each other, too, Freeman and Cumberbatch would be pretty good buds. That doesn’t seem to be the case, though, as sources say the actors aren’t very close at all.
The Telegraph is reporting that while the two stars are fine on set, they’re hardly what you’d call friends:
“Benedict and Martin aren’t mates and they don’t spend time together away from the show. They’re professional and very polite to each other but there’s not the warmth you’d expect after filming together for six years. There isn’t a huge desire to come back for another season.”
Again, it’s pretty surprising that these guys aren’t close, but if this report is true and they really aren’t too fond of each other, then you can bet that Sherlock is probably at its end. Co-creator Mark Gatiss has said in the past that everyone is keen to do more, but even if that’s truly the case, would it be possible?
Cumberbatch is exceptionally busy now that he’s part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Freeman’s slate is crowding up as well (he’s in the MCU, too, though to a lesser extent). As such, it’s going to be pretty tough to get the gang back together again. Plus, if neither of the actors are that keen to make another season anyways, well, that’s yet another roadblock for the show to face.
Right now, it’s too soon to say for sure what’s going to happen, but it’s clear that the situation doesn’t look too good and fans may have to accept the fact that this past weekend’s episode was the last they’ll see of Sherlock.