Too Little, Too Late? 'Sherlock' Ratings Down

Perhaps waiting three years between seasons isn't such a great idea. After an extremely long hiatus, Sherlock returned this month for a highly anticipated fourth season, but there are signs that enthusiasm for the series has cooled a bit during the long interval between seasons.

The season premiered on New Year's Day on both the BBC in the UK and PBS in the United States, and the first episode, titled "The Six Thatchers," turned in slightly lower ratings than the third-season premiere on both networks. On the BBC, the episode was down about 9 percent in comparison to the season-three opener. On PBS, the gap was somewhat smaller at 7.5 percent.

The slide continued with the second episode, which fell off in the UK by a substantial 21 percent compared to the season premiere. Numbers for the second episode on PBS had not yet been released as of early Tuesday.

The ratings dip aside, Sherlock remains one of the most-watched series on both the BBC and PBS. The lower numbers, however, could dampen enthusiasm for a fifth season, a proposition that's already been met with some ambivalence by stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, as well as creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.