There’s another modern Sherlock Holmes TV show on the way, and its premise makes it unique compared to others like Sherlock and Elementary. The CBS series is expected to air sometime between 2024 and 2025 and will be created by Graig Sweeny, who wrote and executive produced Elementary—so the project is in good hands. Still, with so many Sherlock Holmes adaptations having hit screens in recent years, it’s getting harder to imagine ways that the classic stories and characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could be made fresh again. However, Sweeny’s Watson promises this and more.
Sherlock has been a beloved character for over 100 years, with Doyle’s first novel featuring the quirky detective, A Study in Scarlet, having released in 1887. Since then, there have been countless adaptations, with the last couple of decades especially bringing several different versions to the screen. The BBC’s Sherlock managed a fresh twist on the stories of Sherlock Holmes by placing the titular character and his trusted friend, John Watson, in the modern age, and this concept continued into CBS’s Elementary. Both series have since concluded, but Watson will again take inspiration from Doyle’s works, but there’s little chance it will be much like its modern predecessors.
New Sherlock Holmes Show Will Be The Fifth Adaptation Of This Conan Doyle Story In 13 Years
CBS’s upcoming Watson TV show will join a long list of Sherlock Holmes adaptations to have borrowed from one of the detective’s most famous stories.
Watson Will Be A Medical Drama Focused On Sherlock Holmes’ Companion
Like Sherlock and Elementary, Watson will be set in the modern age. However, rather than a mystery series following Sherlock Holmes, the CBS series will be a medical drama focusing on John Watson. The trusty doctor will be played by Morris Chestnut, who will portray Watson following the death of Holmes at the hands of Professor Moriarty (via Variety). This implies that, aside from some potential flashbacks, Sherlock won’t even be a primary character, which is certainly a shift from other modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations.
According to Watson‘s official logline, the titular doctor will “resume his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders,” meaning the series may resemble the medical drama House more than other Sherlock Holmes adaptations. However, the logline states that “Watson’s old life isn’t done with him” and “Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.” Therefore, it seems Watson will also include the overarching villain—intriguing, considering Moriarty is meant to have died alongside Sherlock in canon.
What Else Watson Can Do Differently From Other Modern Sherlock Shows
With so many Sherlock Holmes screen adaptations, any new additions must bring something new to the table. BBC’s Sherlock was the first mainstream series to bring the iconic characters to the modern age, and Elementary followed suit while putting a twist on Watson’s character (making him a woman played by actor Lucy Liu). Now, Watson adds another twist by centering on Sherlock’s pal rather than the detective himself. Still, given the prevalence of mystery medical dramas over the years, it will need to do more than this to succeed.
Sherlock and Elementary both centered largely on the relationship between Holmes and Watson, and this is a significant aspect of what made them work. With Sherlock presumed dead during the start of Watson, it seems that a new sort of friendship will need to fill this void. The most obvious solution to this is to bring in Mary Watson, John’s canonical wife, but this has also been overdone. The key to making Watson stand out against its predecessors will lie within the new characters introduced, ultimately establishing fresh bonds for John Watson that will see his character exceed the exploration of past Sherlock Holmes adaptations.
