Watson

If you're watching this thinking you're getting anything even remotely to do Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, don't waste your time.

This is a basic formulaic med/md show. If you like that sort of thing, this may be for you. I don't care for them, but my partner usually does, but not this one.

Whose dumb idea was it to throw the Holmes/Watson angle in there? Did they need filler material to make it 40 minute episodes. There is such an utter disconnect between the two concepts. They could have called it Doctor Johnson and His Team Interesting Medical People.

I could tell it was not what it was billed about 20 minutes in and will not watch another episode.

I love, love, love Morris Chestnut but this show is overly dramatic and boring. I'm not sure who this show is for. As a medical professional it's just a silly show trying to be smart. Watson is a halfway interesting character, but the rest of his physician crew are stereotypical smarties with bad attitudes. I really wish they had made the series more like Bones. With smart people really wanting to find the answer to a medical problem to benefit normal people or to help people who don't have access to such care.

Of course, at the conclusion they had to throw in their overarching mystery. By that time, I didn't care.

CBS's "Watson" feels like it was created by an algorithm that watched "House, M. D." and "Rosewood" but failed to understand what made those shows compelling. Following Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) after his partnership with Sherlock Holmes, the series attempts to blend medical mysteries with detective work, but the result is a tepid, by-the-numbers procedural that lacks both shows' distinctive charms.

Where "House" thrived on Hugh Laurie's caustic wit and brilliant characterization, and "Rosewood" succeeded through Morris Chestnut's charismatic portrayal of an optimistic pathologist, "Watson" provides neither. Despite Chestnut's proven talent, his Watson feels constrained by flat writing and predictable storylines. The show seems afraid to let him be either abrasive like House or charming like Rosewood, leaving the character in a bland middle ground.

The medical mysteries themselves lack the intellectual complexity that made "House" engaging or the local flavor that gave "Rosewood" its Miami pulse. Each case follows such a formulaic pattern that you can practically set your watch by when the first wrong diagnosis will occur or when the obligatory personal connection to the patient will be revealed.

While Morris Chestnut remains as charismatic as ever, both his Watson and the supporting cast just aren't clicking. The ensemble lacks the spark that made shows like "Rosewood" so engaging, and it's particularly frustrating knowing that the entire "Rosewood" cast is currently available - making one wish CBS had opted to revive that superior show instead. The show tries to create tension through Watson's past connection to Holmes, but these references feel more like name-dropping than substantial plot elements. The chemistry between characters is virtually non-existent, making their interactions feel forced and professional to a fault.

Production values are adequate but uninspired. The hospital setting looks like every other medical show's set, and the visual style lacks distinction. Even the music seems pulled from a stock "tense medical moment" library.

The biggest disappointment is how "Watson" wastes its unique premise. The idea of exploring Holmes's former partner as a medical professional could have been fascinating, but instead of diving deep into Watson's psychology or how his time with Holmes shaped his medical approach, we get surface-level procedural fare.

In trying to appeal to fans of both "House" and "Rosewood," "Watson" ends up satisfying neither. It's not unwatchable, but in today's crowded TV landscape, being merely adequate isn't enough. This is especially frustrating given Morris Chestnut's proven ability to carry a medical show, as demonstrated in "Rosewood."

If you're craving medical mysteries, you're better off rewatching "House." If you want Morris Chestnut solving cases with style, return to "Rosewood." "Watson" proves that sometimes, the best elements of two successful shows don't add up to a compelling new one.

I like it better the first time when it was called House M. D. I mean it's not that it has some resemblance, it is an outright copy. It's as if someone decided he wanted to make a 2020 version of House, and when he couldn't get permission to do it he figured he could do it without anyone noticing by making it a conglomerated kludge by taking on the Sherlock Holmes mystique. Well, you ain't fooling anybody. As every moment passes while I write this (on my IPad, a tedious job that it is) I see more and more moments of House. I even expect they'll start using old scripts from that show.

It's a good thing you're not ripping off Harlan Ellison - you'd be in a heap of trouble (just ask James Cameron about The Terminator). Wait - come to think about it he passed away a while back. Never mind. Oh, and talk about plagiarism, I did shamelessly ripped off David Spade's schtick. I'm sure he doesn't mind.

The ending, though, does offer some intrigue about the future. And that guy - wasn't he the one who played the FBI Agent in the MCU?

Many have mentioned that this is a clone of House M. D. But but it's not. House was a d!ck... Watson is more of a caring and less blunt type person.

But yes, this is very formulaic and how they proceed to diagnose and investigate does give you House vides, along with another half dozen doctor shows over the years, including Trapper John, MD, Dr. Kildaire, Diagnosis Murder, and of course the king of this genre, Quincy MD.

The supporting casts are ok characters, but again, formulaic. Nothing stands out, nothing original.

It's an ok show, I'm a fan of Chestnut, but this show is just not doing anything different. Maybe that in of itself something many may like.... familiarity.