Watson Gets Promising Renewal Report As CBS Cancels 3 Shows To Address A Crowded Slate

Published Mar 7, 2025

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Morris Chestnut leading the Watson cast, the story unfolds one year after the apparent death of Sherlock Holmes at the hands of his archenemy Moriarty. Since then, Dr. John Watson has resumed practicing medicine and opened the Holmes Clinic in Pittsburgh with a unique team. Eve Harlow, Peter Mark Kendall, Inga Schlingmann, Ritchie Coster, Rochelle Aytes also star, with Randall Park in a guest role.

According to a report by Deadline, the possibility of Watson season 2 is looking strong. Though the medical crime drama mash-up is still only four episodes into its run, and CBS has cancelled the popular procedurals FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, and S.W.A.T, the Craig Sweeny-created Watson hails from in-house production studio CBS Studios.

What The Latest Report Means For Watson & CBS

The Sherlock Adaptation Has An Advantage

The shows that CBS cancelled so far have a few things going against them. FBI: International, FBI: Most Wanted, and S.W.A.T. are all long-running dramas from outside studios. S.W.A.T. is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television, having already survived cancellation twice. The spinoffs of FBI, for their part, hailed from Universal Television. These can make renewal discussions a little more complicated. Series tend to cost more as they age and studios and networks, in turn, can sometimes be at odds when it comes to issues such as budgeting and episode count.

Watson: Cast & Characters
Actor	Who They Play	Character Description
Morris Chestnut	Dr. John Watson	A former London-based consulting detective and current physician.
Eve Harlow	Ingrid Derian	An aloof, skilled neurologist with a mysterious past.
Peter Mark Kendall	Stephens Croft and Adam Croft	Identical twins who are infectious disease and functional medicine specialists.
Inga Schlingmann	Sasha Lubbock	A specialist in rheumatology and immunology.
Ritchie Coster	Shinwell Johnson	A former criminal from London who works at Watson's clinic.
Rochelle Aytes	Mary Morstan	Watson's ex-wife, a surgeon who is also the clinic's medical director.
Randall Park	Moriarty	Watson's nemesis.

Watson season 2 has an easier path to renewal because it comes from CBS Studios. Executives will likely want the adaptation to its slate of shows, which include a Blue Bloods spinoff starring Donnie Wahlberg and Matthew Gray Gubler's Einstein. Even though it hasn't been a breakout ratings hit, with four episodes aired so far, Watson also performs well enough to get a second look.

Our Take On Watson's Chances

CBS Gives Its Shows Room To Grow

CBS has been criticized by its audience for cancelling popular dramas. But titles like S.W.A.T. are ending after long and healthy runs. The network has a reputation for allowing its programs the time to build an audience if positive signs are there. That may be to Watson's benefit in the long run.

Watson airs Sundays at 9 PM ET on CBS

Source: Deadline