When people think of famous sidekicks, their minds usually turn toward costumed heroes like Robin or Kid Flash - but one of the most important sidekicks in history comes from the world of literature and predates any comic book. Dr. John Watson, the steadfast companion to the original world’s greatest detective has been a feature in any Sherlock Holmes media for over a hundred years. Now, he is stepping out of the shadow of Holmes in the upcoming CBS series, Watson.

Starring Morris Chestnut, who has been a fixture in film and TV since 1991’s Boyz n the Hood, will follow in the footsteps of Morgan Freeman, Jude Law, and Lucy Liu as he steps into the role of John Watson. The official synopsis of the new show explains that Watson is set one year after the death of Holmes during a battle with his archnemesis, Moriarty. Dr. John Watson has resumed his medical career and thinks his days of detecting and adventuring are behind him... but unfortunately, Moriarity isn’t done with him just yet.

Watson is the second modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes characters that CBS has produced in recent years. Elementary, which wrapped up in 2019, ran for seven seasons so this is familiar territory for the network. The connection between the two shows runs even deeper, as Craig Sweeny, who was a writer and executive producer for Elementary, returns as showrunner for Watson. This version of the character looks set to focus on Watson’s medical expertise, though we’d be surprised if it ran for more than a few seasons before Holmes pops back up again.

No specific release date has been announced but Watson is expected to air during the 2024-2025 television season.

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