CBS Moves Ahead on ‘Watson,’ Based on Sherlock Holmes’s Partner

 Morris Chestnut in 'Watson'.
Morris Chestnut in 'Watson'.
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CBS is going straight to series on the detective drama Watson, with Morris Chestnut playing the fabled partner to Sherlock Holmes. The series is scheduled for the 2024-2025 season.

“We are thrilled to feature such a beloved character from the world of Sherlock Holmes at the center of this series and have it brought to life by Morris Chestnut in a fresh and unexpected take on the immortal doctor,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Craig Sweeny’s bold new vision for the complex Dr. Watson deftly interweaves rich character storytelling with edge-of-your-seat medical mysteries.”

A year after the death of his friend and partner Holmes at the hands of Moriarty, Dr. John Watson resumes his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders. Watson’s former life isn’t quite done with him, however, as Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of the story.

CBS calls Watson “a medical show with a strong investigative spine, featuring a modern version of one of history’s greatest detectives as he turns his attention from solving crimes to solving medical mysteries.”

Sweeny wrote the pilot and is showrunner and executive producer. He will executive produce with Chestnut, Shäron Moalem MD, PhD, Aaron Kaplan and Brian Morewitz for Kapital Entertainment, and Larry Teng, who will direct the pilot.

CBS Studios is producing Watson.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the Holmes and Watson characters.

Chestnut’s credits include Fox’s cop drama Rosewood, NBC’s espionage drama The Enemy Within and Hulu’s legal drama Reasonable Doubt.