Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson in new CBS medical procedural ‘Watson’. Sherlock Homes’ John Watson, this time brought to life by an American, solving mysteries in Pittsburgh instead of London. Sergei Bachlakov/CBS
In a time when TV has become a hodgepodge of ideas mashed together to grab fleeting attention, CBS’s new show Watson might just take the cake for the most absurd, yet oddly fascinating, creation of 2025. Starring Morris Chestnut, a charismatic veteran of network dramas, Watson tries to do too much and ends up doing almost nothing well.
On paper, Watson is a Sherlock Holmes-inspired procedural drama. In reality, it’s a Frankenstein’s monster of television tropes. Imagine House meets a low-budget Sherlock spinoff, with a sprinkling of attractive young doctors diagnosing rare illnesses in a Pittsburgh clinic. Chestnut’s John Watson—yes, the same Dr. John Watson from Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories—somehow ends up solving medical mysteries instead of crime, leaving viewers scratching their heads and chuckling nervously.
Ritchie Coster as Sherlock Holmes associate Shinwell Johnson and Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson, in ‘Watson’. Colin Bentley/CBS
The pilot episode, airing Sunday at 10 EST/PST, sets the tone for what’s to come: a collision of genres that never quite gel. One part patient-of-the-week medical drama, one part half-baked Sherlock mythology, the show struggles to find its identity. It’s not that the individual pieces are terrible—Chestnut’s smooth delivery and undeniable charm make for a few enjoyable moments—but the combination of themes feels forced and unnatural. Watching Watson is like seeing two strangers awkwardly stuck on a blind date; you hope they’ll click, but deep down, you know it’s doomed.
The backstory is where the absurdity truly shines. Watson, previously seen gallivanting around London with Sherlock Holmes and battling Moriarty, is now recovering from a traumatic fall at Reichenbach Falls. After losing his best friend and sustaining a suspiciously non-career-ending head injury, Watson relocates to Pittsburgh, where he inherits Sherlock’s money and a cryptic plan to open a medical diagnostics clinic. Because, of course, Sherlock would leave his sidekick a failing clinic instead of, say, a crime-solving empire.
Assisting Watson are a mismatched team of young medical prodigies, Sherlock’s old associate Shinwell Johnson (played by Ritchie Coster as a walking cockney stereotype), and his ex-wife Dr. Mary Morstan (Rochelle Aytes), now conveniently the head of a prestigious hospital. If this sounds eerily like House or even Fox’s newer drama Doc, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, the medical mysteries in Watson lack the intrigue and excitement of its predecessors, and the supporting cast fails to bring the necessary depth to elevate the material.
While Chestnut carries the show with his swagger and magnetic presence, the Sherlockian elements feel like an afterthought. The moments when the show leans into the Holmes mythology are laughably absurd, and without spoiling the premiere’s twist, let’s just say it’s not worth the buildup. Fans of Sherlock and Elementary will likely find themselves cringing at this misguided attempt to reimagine beloved characters.
Ultimately, Watson feels like a concept that was doomed from the start. It’s chaotic, messy, and occasionally amusing, but mostly, it’s baffling. For those who dare to tune in, prepare for a wild ride into the most nonsensical show of the year—a series so strange that it’s hard to stop thinking about, even if you want to.
