CBS has booked Morris Chestnut to play iconic character Dr. John Watson in the new medical drama Watson.
The actor will star in and executive produce the project, which has been ordered straight to series for the 2024-2025 broadcast season, CBS announced in a press release Wednesday.
The drama is based on characters created by British writer and physician, Arthur Conan Doyle, from his books and short stories about fictional detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner Watson.
The show is set one year after the death of Holmes at the hands of his enemy, Moriarty.
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Here is the official description: “Dr. John Watson (Chestnut) resumes 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.”
The series is produced by CBS Studios.
Craig Sweeny (Elementary, Star Trek: Section 31) wrote the pilot and will serve as showrunner and executive producer. In addition to Sweeny and Chestnut, executive producers include Shäron Moalem MD, PhD; Aaron Kaplan and Brian Morewitz for Kapital Entertainment; and Larry Teng, who will direct the first episode.
“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,” Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “Craig Sweeny’s bold new vision for the complex Dr. Watson deftly interweaves rich character storytelling with edge-of-your-seat medical mysteries.”
Elementary starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson aired on CBS from 2012 to 2019.
A premiere date for Watson will be announced later.
Chestnut is best known to fans for his roles in Boyz n the Hood (1991), Two Can Play That Game (2001), Ladder 49 (2004), and The Best Man films. Among his TV roles were parts in Our Kind Of People, The Resident, Nurse Jackie, Rosewood, Goliath, and All American.
The actor has won two Image Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and 2022.
