CBS has given a straight to series order to a drama series that will see Morris Chestnut star as the iconic literary character Dr. John Watson, the companion of master detective Sherlock Holmes.
The show, titled “Watson,” is a contemporary story set one year after the death of Holmes at the hands of his archnemesis Moriarty. Per the official logline, the show will see “Dr. John Watson (Chestnut) resume his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders. Watson’s old life isn’t done with him, though—Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.”
Craig Sweeny created the series and will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Chestnut will executive produce in addition to starring. Shäron Moalem MD, PhD, and Aaron Kaplan and Brian Morewitz for Kapital Entertainment also executive produce. Larry Teng will executive produce and direct the first episode. CBS Studios will produce. Sweeny and Teng are currently under overall deals at CBS Studios.
“Watson” is expected to air during the 2024-2025 broadcast 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.”
This will be the second series based on the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to air on CBS in recent years. The network previously aired the series “Elementary,” which starred Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. Sweeny was a writer and executive producer on that series, which ran for seven seasons.
“Watson” also marks the latest new series order at CBS. In addition to their returning shows, whose premiere dates were all delayed to the actors’ and writers’ strikes, the network is also preparing to launch the show “Tracker” starring Justin Hartley and “Elsbeth” starring Carrie Preston in February. There is also CBS’ upcoming update of “Matlock” starring Kathy Bates and the multi-cam comedy “Poppa’s House.” The latter two shows are slated to air during the 2024-2025 season as well.
For Chestnut, the show will be his latest stint playing a doctor in a recent broadcast series. Chestnut previously starred in multiple seasons of the Fox medical drama series “The Resident” and led the cast of the Fox series “Rosewood,” in which he played a private pathologist who solves crimes in Miami.
His other recent roles include the Peacock series “The Best Man: The Final Chapters,” the Fox series “Our Kind of People,” and the NBC series “The Enemy Within.” He is also known for films like “Boyz n the Hood,” “The Best Man” films, and “Think Like a Man.”
He is repped by Verve and link Entertainment. Sweeny is repped by WME and Jamie Mandelbaum at Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
