‘Watson’: Morris Chestnut Teases Moriarty’s Influence and Major Mary Reveal

A new game is afoot in this modern-day medical mystery drama. Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut), the onetime partner of the famous Sherlock, is grieving the sleuth’s recent murder at the hands of his nemesis Moriarty. Watson dives into a distracting and intriguing new gig, treating rare diseases at the Holmes Clinic with the help of four quirky newbie docs.

“We’re not just doctors. We’re not just detectives. We are ‘doc-tectives,’” says Chestnut, who’s played plenty of MDs including the titular Miami pathologist on Rosewood (Fox, 2015-17). “That’s where our show is different than a lot of primarily straight-line medical dramas or straight-line detective dramas. It’s a combination of both.” It’s also a thriller. Little does Watson know, Moriarty is lurking nearby and has his sights set on the doc.

Below, Watson‘s Chestnut clues us in.

What makes Watson tick?

Morris Chestnut: Watson genuinely wants to see his patients get better. What excites him more than anything is solving a mystery. He can’t take [anyone] at face value. He’s always picking out something intriguing. But he had a traumatic brain injury [sustained trying to save Holmes] and he’s being affected by his medication. He can’t trust everyone around him.

Were you a fan of the Sherlock Holmes books and novels by Arthur Conan Doyle?

I was. Craig Sweeny, the showrunner and creator [who also created the Sherlock-verse series Elementary] is well read in the mythology. I read a couple of stories years ago prior to this and have seen movies and TV projects. Understanding the motivations of the characters in the story really helped me in my approach to certain scenes with certain characters. [What I took away] was mainly a study of their relationship. Watson is brilliant and saw Sherlock as someone higher than him. He wanted to learn from him, be like him.

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The premiere features a case of potentially fatal insomnia. Are the medical mysteries real?

The science is 100 percent real. Every time I would pick up a script, I was like, this can’t be true. The case of the hand that moved by itself? The show’s medical consultant says he cannot go to the beach or walk down the street [without] his mind racing [diagnosing people].

Medical director Mary Watson (S.W.A.T.’s Rochelle Aytes), says, “You can see into people’s bodies and their souls,” but she’s still done with their marriage. Why?

What’s going to be revealed throughout the course of the season is when Watson left [to work with Holmes in London], he left Mary in a very bad situation but didn’t realize it. He loves this woman and wants her back.

What will it take to outwit the deadly Moriarty, who will soon show his face?

Moriarty has influence over many people for many reasons. He [can] be places and touch people close to Watson when he is not necessarily in front of them — the doctors, [his aide] Shinwell Johnson [Ritchie Coster], even Mary. Moriarty makes Watson look at everyone and everything differently – there is one particularly that Watson has to watch out for.

Watson, Series Premiere, Sunday, January 26, 10/9c (after AFC Championship Game), CBS (Regular Time Period, Sunday, February 16, 10/9c)