The much-loved and much-awaited season 4 of Sherlock may be the last one as what Benedict Cumberbatch announced in the recently-concluded San Diego Comic-Con.

"We'll see how this series lands. It's been great fun to come back and do it. How it will continue in the future, who knows? It's not just about what any of us want. It's about what's actually right for the show, to be honest, and that has to be judged very carefully. Think about the very limited but classic British output of certain shows, and there aren't that many of them. It's a painful thing to say, but maybe series four is it. Who knows?" the British actor announced.

Cumberbatch hinted that the actors as well as the moviemakers, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffatt, are currently in-demand and would not want to 'compromise' in producing future episodes of the American TV drama.

And the actors aren't the only ones who are busy. Mark and Steven are pretty tied up. Mark is an actor, as well as a producer and writer. It's all of us being stretched in different directions. Also, this has run longer than most American series. You don't want to compromise it by continually doing it, just because we could carry it on. There's lots of stuff to weigh. It's not just about what we want to do. It's about what's right. We'll see. Really, we will have to see. No one has decided on it, so there's no yes or no to an end or a beginning."

Moffat also echoed Cumberbatch's thoughts but did not drop a definite plan for the next season.

"We don't know what the future will be, and it's not entirely down to us. Hopefully, we'll do more. I find it hard to imagine that we won't. But in terms of a specific plan, there are ideas that we haven't gotten to yet," he said.

Meanwhile, producers Moffat and Gatiss kept Sherlock fans on their seats as he revealed the dark nature of Toby Jone's unnamed character in the show.

"This guy is the purest evil. Sherlock is actually appalled by him. He's the most evil villain we've had. I don't think that when you see it, you will disagree. He's horrific," he announced.

Sherlock Season 4 is expected to be aired on BBC in the first months of 2017.