Since Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in the 19th century, the forensic detective and his sidekick, Dr. John H. Watson, have been enduring figures in world literature and other media, including television. Recently, BBC’s “Sherlock” and CBS’s “Elementary” put successful spins on the beloved characters of Holmes and Watson. Now, “Elementary” writer-producer Craig Sweeny is offering a new (and completely unrelated) take on Dr. John Watson. While Lucy Liu played Dr. Watson in “Elementary,” in “Watson,” veteran actor Morris Chestnut stars as the title character. Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the series follows the brilliant, self-assured doctor six months after the death of his best friend, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was killed by the malicious Professor James Moriarty (a rather shocking guest star). Though Chestnut is more than up to the task, a confused pilot and forced Sherlock lore make for a shaky start.
“Watson” begins with the death of Sherlock Holmes. After a desperate attempt to save his friend, Dr. Watson awakens from a coma, suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI). At the behest of Holmes’ will, Watson returns to Pittsburgh to open the Holmes Clinic at the city’s largest hospital. He and a team of young doctors investigate unique and distinct cases, allowing him to wear his detective hat. Undaunted by their alarming TBI symptoms, Watson and his fellow officers take on an ever-growing list of patients, requiring them to look beyond the obvious.
Creator: Craig Sweeny
Stars: Eve Harlow, Tommy O'Brien, Morris Chestnut
In addition to Dr. Watson, the Holmes Clinic team consists of Dr. Stephens Croft and Dr. Adam Croft (Peter Mark Kendall), identical twins with a fractured relationship. While Stephens is uptight and stoic, Adam is outgoing but has a sordid past. Joining the Crofts is Dr. Sasha Lubbock (Inga Schlingmann), a rheumatology and immunology specialist whose sweet Southern demeanor (complete with a thick Texas accent) keeps her trapped in an unfulfilling romance. Still, the most intriguing doctor of the cohort is Dr. Ingrid Derian (Eve Harlow), who also acts as Dr. Watson's personal neurologist. Cold, calculating, and Watson's clear favorite, Ingrid could be a sociopath.
While Ingrid excels at the clinic, Watson and his ex-wife, Dr. Mary Morstan (Rochelle Aytes), are a highlight of the series. Mary is the director of the hospital where the Holmes Clinic is located, and Chestnut and Aytes have fantastic chemistry despite their characters' different patient care tactics. Plus, the former couple's past, which Mary wants to put an end to and Watson is desperate to keep open, helps the tension that runs throughout this first season.
The glaring problem with “Watson” is that it’s being shoved under the Sherlock Holmes axis. In the pilot, Chestnut clumsily uses the word “Eureka!” and suddenly Watson’s chauffeur, Shinwell Johnson (Ritchie Coster), whose ties to Scotland Yard are constantly mentioned (even though we’re in Pittsburgh), is transformed into his closest fixer and confidant. He’s odd and rambling, forcing viewers to work harder to connect with the story.
“Watson” could have easily worked as a simple, straightforward medical mystery drama instead of trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. The series’ opening scene plunges viewers into a Sherlock Holmes-type adventure, but then, in an instant, the audience finds themselves in Pittsburgh. Renaming the characters would have worked without trying to randomly bring these two worlds together.
Still, there’s one main thing “Watson” excels at. In an almost overwhelming landscape of hospital dramas, from ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” to newcomer “The Pitt,” “Watson” manages to examine “typical” medical crises with fresh eyes. In Episode 5, the strongest of the five that critics selected for review, Dr. Watson cares for a twenty-something woman in the midst of her increasingly difficult sickle cell crisis. Beyond medicine, the series examines ethical questions about our health care system and why specific treatments and cures are withheld unless purchased. “Watson” does something similar when it examines genetic markers for cancer in Episode 4.
A disconcerting start and unnecessary Sherlock Holmes influences make for a shaky start, especially in the early episodes. However, with an endlessly charismatic Chestnut at the helm, the addition of some much-needed backstories, and a focus on medical mysteries and the people who suffer from them, “Watson” is a great, yet often unsettling, and often unsettling, show-stopping ...
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