IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN SEASON 2 OF ‘SHERLOCK’ BEWARE, SPOILERS IN THIS ARTICLE: Though some fans were expecting Moriarty to be a recurring character throughout the BBC Sherlock series, and not actually be dead following ‘The Reichenbach Fall,’ the show’s creator says that the show needs new villains. However, did he actually die in the finale? A quote from Moffat’s interview with The Radio Times via Hypable:
STEPHEN MOFFAT: Moriarty’s a one-shot deal in the original [books]. I don’t want [Sherlock] to turn into a show that’s about one villain and one hero, said Moffat.Moriarty was great because he was a surprise. Every time you bring him back he won’t be as big a surprise. We need to find new villains, we need to find new ideas, otherwise the show doesn’t keep growing. There are other great villains in [the Conan Doyle books] that we want to visit. We have to keep the show growing otherwise it won’t surprise you. Once you get the measure of it you’ll just get critical – if we keep surprising you and keeping you off balance you won’t.
Moriarty is just the perfect villain and I loved him on the show. Any of you fans of BBC Sherlock? Do you hope Moriarty comes back, or that he actually is dead?

　　英国BBC剧集《神探夏洛克》（Sherlock）主创史蒂文·莫法特（Steven Moffat）透露，安德鲁·斯科特（Andrew Scott）饰演的大反派莫里亚蒂教授将不会回归第三季，在新一季中，他们将开发出新的反派角色。
　　《神探夏洛克》第二季在今年1月份播完不久，就获得了BBC电视台第三季的续定。在第二季中，《神探夏洛克》新年首播集获得880万的收视率，第2集收视率为820万，第3集则仅有790万。
　　主创史蒂文·莫法特目前正在筹划《神探夏洛克》第三季剧本，他透露，新一季里除了本尼迪克特·康伯巴奇（Benedict Cumberbatch）饰演的福尔摩斯和马丁·弗瑞曼（Martin Freeman）饰演的华生两个角色确定回归外，在第三季第3集自杀的大反派莫里亚蒂教授将不会回归。
　　史蒂文·莫法特表示，我们需要找到新的反派，找到新的创意，否则，这部剧集真的难发展下去。史蒂文·莫法特同时还指出，他将会从《福尔摩斯》作者阿瑟·柯南·道尔（Arthur Conan Doyle）的其他作品中，为神探夏洛克打造出新的对手。
　　在1月份的时候，史蒂文·莫法特还一度表示《神探夏洛克》有望在2012年年度回归，但随后这个消息被该剧另一位执行制片人，也是史蒂文·莫法特的妻子苏·维特（Sue Vertue）否认。
　　从目前《神探夏洛克》的制作情况来看，该剧第三季应该在2013年初亮相。