Watson (TV series)

Last updated
Watson
Watson CBS Poster.jpg
Star Morris Chestnut in a promotional poster for the series
Genre
Created by Craig Sweeny
Based onThe works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Starring
Music by Paul Leonard-Morgan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes1
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Geoffrey Hemwall
  • Scott Graham
Production location Vancouver, Canada
CinematographyBrook Willard
EditorJesse Ellis
Production companies
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseJanuary 26, 2025 (2025-01-26) –
present (present)

Watson is an American television series created by Craig Sweeny which premiered on CBS on January 26, 2025. The series, described as a "medical drama with detective elements", is centered around the character of Dr. John Watson from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, with Morris Chestnut portraying the character. It is the second CBS series to adapt the Holmes stories, after Elementary . While the two programs are otherwise unrelated, their creative teams overlap.

Contents

Premise

One year after Sherlock Holmes's apparent death at the hands of his archenemy Moriarty in Reichenbach Falls, Dr. John Watson resumes his medical practice by opening the "Holmes Clinic" in Pittsburgh to treat patients with strange and unidentifiable issues. Soon however, Watson must face his past when evidence surfaces indicating that Moriarty is still alive. [1]

Cast

The cast of Watson Watson cast.jpg
The cast of Watson

Main

Guest

The characters Inspector Lestrade and Irene Adler will also appear. [2]

Episodes

No.Title  [5] Directed byWritten byOriginal release date  [5] U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Pilot" Larry Teng Craig Sweeny January 26, 2025 (2025-01-26)9.58 [6]
Dr. John Watson suffers a traumatic brain injury during the final encounter between detective Sherlock Holmes and master criminal James Moriarty. Waking up in a Swiss hospital, Watson learns from Shinwell Johnson that Holmes secretly funded a private clinic in his will so Watson could find a new purpose in the event of his death. Several months later, Watson and his handpicked team take on a new patient at the request of his ex-wife, hospital administrator Mary Morstan. The patient, Erika Filipello, is seemingly dying from fatal insomnia, but using his investigative skills, Watson determines not only that she is suffering from a genetic deficiency of biotinidase but that her similarly ill cousin Autumn is actually the girl's half-sister. However, Autumn goes into septic shock, and Watson is unable to call in his usual surgeon due to adverse weather. Mary, a former surgeon, agrees to operate, saving Autumn's life. Watson later retrieves his old case files at Mary's encouragement. Shinwell delivers a case of genetic samples to a still-alive Moriarty, who reminds him that he is watching "always and everywhere."
2"Redcoat" [7] Larry TengCraig SweenyFebruary 16, 2025 (2025-02-16)TBD
3"Wait for the Punchline" [8] Christine Moore Sallie Patrick February 23, 2025 (2025-02-23)TBD
4"Patient Question Mark" Ron Underwood Teresa TuanMarch 2, 2025 (2025-03-02)TBD

Production

Watson was announced in October 2022, to be created, written and produced by Craig Sweeny who had previously worked on Elementary. [9] The show was given a straight to series order, bypassing the pilot stage. [10]

By January 2024, Morris Chestnut was attached to executive produce and star as the title character. [11] Executive producer Larry Teng will direct the first two episodes. [12] [13] In May, Peter Mark Kendall and Ritchie Coster were announced as the first core cast additions. [14] In June, Rochelle Aytes was cast as Mary Morstan, [15] followed by Eve Harlow and Inga Schlingmann. [16]

Watson began shooting in Vancouver in June 2024, [17] with filming locations including The Bridge Studios and the University of British Columbia campus. [18] The shoot concluded on November 22, 2024. [19] The show is set in Pittsburgh, where some exterior scenes were shot. [20] [21] [13] [22]

The series is scored by Paul Leonard-Morgan. [23]

Release

The first episode had its worldwide premiere at MIPCOM Cannes on October 20, 2024. [24] The series premiered on January 26, 2025, on CBS, after the AFC Championship football game, [25] and will stream on Paramount+. [26] In Canada, the series will air on Global and will stream on StackTV. [27]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval rating with an average rating of 5.9/10, based on 16 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Transplanting Sherlock Holmes lore into a medical procedural, Watson's conceit proves an awkward fit but gets a boost from the ever-watchable Morris Chestnut." [28] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 55 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [29]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Watson
No.TitleAir date Rating/share
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		Ref.
1"Pilot"January 26, 20251.60/219.58 [6]

References

  1. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 3, 2022). "Dr. Watson Drama Series In Works At CBS From Craig Sweeny & Kapital Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (January 26, 2025). "Watson Creator On Premiere Twist & Moriarty Casting Reveal, Sherlock Easter Eggs & 'House' Comparisons". Deadline Hollywood .
  3. ↑ Jacobs, Meredith (February 10, 2025). "'Watson': Morris Chestnut Talks Moriarty, Mary, and Is Sherlock Really Dead? (Exclusive)". TV Insider.
  4. ↑ Jacobs, Meredith (February 10, 2025). "'Watson' Casts Matt Berry as Voice of Sherlock Holmes". TV Insider.
  5. 1 2 "Shows A-Z – Watson on CBS". The Futon Critic . Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  6. 1 2 Pucci, Douglas (January 29, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: Bills-Chiefs on CBS Sets New AFC Championship Game Viewer Record". Programming Insider. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  7. ↑ "(#WAT102) "Redcoat"". The Futon Critic . Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  8. ↑ "(#WAT103) "Wait for the Punchline"". The Futon Critic . Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (October 3, 2022). "Dr. Watson Drama Series In Works At CBS From Craig Sweeny & Kapital Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  10. ↑ Otterson, Joe (January 3, 2024). "CBS Orders Medical Drama Starring Morris Chestnut as Sherlock Holmes Character Dr. John Watson". Variety . Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (January 3, 2024). "Morris Chestnut To Star In Watson As Arthur Conan Doyle-Inspired Drama Gets CBS Series Order". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  12. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (January 3, 2024). "Morris Chestnut To Star In Watson As Arthur Conan Doyle-Inspired Drama Gets CBS Series Order". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Owen, Rob (June 12, 2024). "TV Talk: Watson filming locally, The Deliverance dated". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  14. ↑ Otterson, Joe (May 14, 2024). "Morris Chestnut Series Watson at CBS Casts Peter Mark Kendall, Ritchie Coster (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on May 14, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  15. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 4, 2024). "Rochelle Aytes Joins CBS' Watson, Departing S.W.A.T. As Series Regular". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  16. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (June 6, 2024). "Watson: Eve Harlow & So Help Me Todd's Inga Schlingmann Join CBS Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  17. ↑ https://hollywoodnorthbuzz.com/2024/10/bc-filmed-medical-mystery-watson-with-morris-chestnut-premieres-this-january.html
  18. ↑ Felt, Kevin (January 29, 2025). "Where Is Watson TV Show Filmed? Real-Life Locations Revealed". The Direct. Retrieved January 29, 2025.
  19. ↑ Gittins, Susan (June 17, 2024). "CBS Medical Sleuthing Series WATSON With Morris Chestnut in Production in Vancouver". Hollywood North Buzz. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  20. ↑ Owen, Rob (February 6, 2024). "TV Talk at TCA: CBS's Watson will be set in Pittsburgh; Apple TV+ explores 'New Look' of post-WWII Paris". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ Vardhan, Harsh (March 30, 2024). "Morris Chestnut's CBS Series Watson Starts Filming in Vancouver in June". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  22. ↑ Jacobs, Haley (June 11, 2024). "Roberto Clemente Bridge closed for film shoot on Wednesday". CBS News . Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  23. ↑ "New series. Watson 🎬🎶 Created and show-run by Craig Sweeny, who I collaborated with on my first US television soundtrack years ago, Limitless. Psyched to be teaming up with him again. Inspired by the characters from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries". Instagram . Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  24. ↑ "WATSON WORLD PREMIERE TO OPEN MIPCOM CANNES 2024". FormatBiz. July 24, 2024. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  25. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (October 16, 2024). "Morris Chestnut-Led CBS Series Watson Sets Premiere Date". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  26. ↑ "The holidays can be stressful—unwind with the soothing voice of Morris Chestnut". Instagram . Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  27. ↑ GLOBAL ANNOUNCES 2024/25 BROADCAST SEASON LINEUP OVERFLOWING WITH THE MOSTBUZZ WORTHY ACQUISITIONS AND TV’s #1 RETURNING HIT SHOWS - Corus Entertainment
  28. ↑ "Watson: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Watson: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved January 30, 2025.
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