Elementary Season 4 will see the first appearance of Sherlock's mysterious father. The release date for Season 4 has been confirmed. Meanwhile in the real world, series star Lucy Liu has become a mother via surrogate birth.

Season 4 of Elementary begins on Nov. 5 at 10pm ET on CBS.

Lucy Liu Welcomes Baby Boy

On Thursday, Lucy Liu tweeted a black-and-white photo of herself holding baby Rockwell Lloyd Liu. News that Liu's child came from a surrogate was confirmed by the LA Times on the same day. The 46-year-old actress did not reveal the circumstances behind her arrangement.

Liu is better known for her portrayal of Dr. Joan Watson on Elementary. She is currently starring opposite of actor Jonny Lee Miller, who stars as main protagonist Sherlock Holmes.

The actress is also notable for her roles as Ling Woo in Ally McBeal. Besides appearing on television, she has starred in films including Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Charlie's Angels.

Sherlock's Father Appearing in Elementary Season 4

CBS recently confirmed that actor John Noble will make his Elementary debut as Sherlock's wealthy father, Morland Holmes. Noble's credits also include supernatural thriller Sleepy Hollow and investigative series Fringe.

Up to this point, Morland has been somewhat of a very mysterious figure as he was never seen on camera. Even so, he was the one who hired Joan as Sherlock's "sober companion" during the younger Holmes' recovery from addiction. The patriarch is also the owner of the brownstone where Sherlock and Joan lives.

However, Sherlock believes that his father's benevolence is motivated more out of familial obligations than fatherly love. Both Morland and Sherlock appear to be on nonspeaking terms. At the end of the Season 3 finale, Sherlock goes through a relapse. This results in Morland flying over from Britain to deal with matters personally.

"We could not be more delighted to have John Noble taking on such an important role," series creator/exec producer Robert Doherty said according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We've enjoyed his work for many years now - especially his tremendous run on Fringe - and cannot wait to see him opposite Jonny and Lucy. It's going to be an exciting season."