'Sherlock's' future lies with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, says showrunner Steven Moffat

Since that juxtaposed finale that "Sherlock" season 4 has delivered, fans have been pressing for anything that might hint about what the future lies ahead for the beloved BBC series. Showrunner Steven Moffat has done a series of press activities throughout the duration of the four-episode installment but still no concrete word about a potential fifth season.

Moffat may have already been overwhelmed by the number of queries he has gotten and answered in the past few weeks regarding "Sherlock's" future in light of its season 4 finale. That being said, the producer took it to his own and wrote a short statement that was later on shared by fans across social media.

"Re: Sherlock's future - for those of you asking, it's definitely the end. Of Chapter One," Moffat wrote. "Dr. Watson is now Doyle's brave widower and Sherlock Holmes has become the wise and humane version of the main run of the stories (we've focused, so far, on the cold Holmes of the early days.)," he penned. "Whether we ever get to Chapter Two - our boys consciously living the myth and battling wrong-doers - rather depends on our two stars. I'd be slightly surprised if we never made it again. But I've been surprised before."

Folks involved in the show have been open regarding their scheduling difficulties just to set production time for "Sherlock" season 4. As a testament to that, the British show took roughly three years, sans 2016's Holiday special, "The Abominable Bride," before its latest outing rolled out. Both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman who play Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, respectively, have been busy with other projects across the ponds. The two, despite being in different properties, have joined the massive Marvel machinery last year and are expected to once again appear in future films from its cinematic universe. Cumberbatch took on the role of the studio's' newest superhero, Doctor Strange, while Freeman has a recurring role as Everett K. Ross.

In the event, however, that "Sherlock" is able to make it work despite the scheduling conflicts much like what they were able to do with season 4, Moffat sounds like he is ready to recourse the direction of the spy thriller. The TV boss shared some ideas as to how they can eventually revisit the lore by putting Holmes and Watson on a clean slate.