It’s been rumored that after the long awaited fourth season of BBC’s wildly successful “Sherlock,” the show may be coming to an end. Both the creator of the show, Steven Moffat, and its star, Benedict Cumberbatch, have made statements that this season may be the end of the detective’s run. Although episodes were few and far between, the first couple of years of “Sherlock” were highly acclaimed, and the show gained a large fan base. A resurgence of interest in the original stories was even inspired by the creativity of the retelling. However, with its later episodes, the show lost some direction.

The clear but fascinating writing of the first season faded; dialogue seemed rambling and the mysteries themselves were overshadowed by “humorous” and drawn-out scenes centered on romance and Sherlock’s fumbling attempts to be more human. The third season ended with the resurrection of yet another character who was supposed to be dead. This trope was fun the first time, tired the second time and on its third go around is simply lazy writing.

I’m here to say what many won’t want to hear: it is time to let “Sherlock” go; (I’d argue that it’s time to let Moffat go from the BBC entirely, but that’s a different article entirely). In addition to the obvious struggles with writing, the show also has too many years between each season. The last episode aired in early 2014. I can barely remember what I did last week, much less what happened in a show I was already losing interest in three years ago. Marketing endless seasons of a show just for its consumption by a strong fan base can result in a show becoming less than it once was.

There’s something to be said for television shows that are forced to wrap up within a certain number of episodes. How many of us have really kept up with the shows that have 14 seasons? Do you know what happened in the latest episode of “Criminal Minds,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” or “Supernatural”? If shows that have been proclaimed “gone too soon” after their cancellations had been intended as one shot, one season affairs, the story-lines of each show would have been wrapped up nicely (“BrainDead,” anyone?).

We should try treating television shows more like movies… without sequels. Force writers to have set plans for their characters and let stories end naturally. Quality can improve with succinct and strong story lines, and actors can be involved in new projects. If we need them to, stories can live on in our own imaginations.

“Sherlock” returns in January 2017, hopefully with good writing and a fitting end for the series.