Watson

I am a big fan of Morris Chestnut. This series feels very formulaic. Like any person only ever has one case to follow up on. Realistic please! I am not a doctor or detective but in my real life - I have several items open and being pursued at once allllll the time. The acting is a little stilted from the supporting characters. I will be hanging on for a few episodes to see how this develops. I usually give at least five episodes to a new show to see character and deeper storyline develop. Some mystery around how Moriarity is involved and how deeply with Watson. Did Sherlock really die? Or will he reappear?

It has little to do with Holmes and Watson, the characters. It is so much a rip-off of House MD that frankly, it gets embarrassing to watch. Even the music is exactly as in House. Oh, and Morris Chestnut is not the right guy to play any kind of smart doctor.

It's not all bad, though. The writing and acting are not awful, the story moves along as it should... there is some potential, despite the bad decisions they made at conception.

So, what are the producers going to do to avoid getting cancelled at the end of the first season? It's an interesting challenge. Probably, they're going to have to choose whether they want to move away completely from the Conan Doyle characters, or not. I wish they would actually tap into it more - Moriarty should be a recurring villain in this series. At least that way, we would be thinking less about House while watching this series...

Having just watched writer Craig Sweeny's flop "Section 31" I was prepared for another debacle. "Watson", for which he is the series creator, is deadly dull and plays like one of those failed pilots that in the good old days (1970s) would have popped up as summer filler, not as a launch of a new CBS tv show.

Sweeny hit the jackpot years back with another Sherlock Holmes reimagining starring Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes and Lucy Liu as a memorable female Watson. That gambit had been done in the '70s as a fine but forgotten movie "They Might Be Giants" with no less than two all-time greats in the roles: George C. Scott and Joanne Woodward.

So now Sweeny is back with a different wrinkle: Morris Chestnut as Dr. Watson, after a prologue in which The Death of Sherlock Holmes, as in the original Conan Doyle serialized stories, occurs in Switzerland under mysterious circumstances, with Watson inheriting a fancy clinic to head up a team dealing with difficult to diagnose rare maladies.

Other than a very hokey introduction of another transformed type of Moriarty character at the pilot segment's end, the story is dull and the "quirky" cast of regulars dull too. Some failed pilots seem to have had potential and one wonders: "What if..." regarding whether they should have been given a chance. In this case one wonders if "Watson" will last, having been allowed out of the gate.

Morris Chestnut takes on the role of a suave, modern-day version of John Watson in this medical mystery drama. The series boasts a glossy, high-production aesthetic that makes for visually engaging viewing. While it sets itself up as a blend of House and Elementary, it doesn't quite hit a home run.

One of the show's biggest challenges is its supporting cast. While there is noticeable chemistry among Dr. Watson's team members, the series heavily centers around him, leaving the rest of the characters feeling more like background players. In this episode, we don't get enough depth from them to feel truly invested in their presence-or absence-in future episodes. However, two characters stand out: Watson's assistant and the medical director, both of whom add some intrigue and dynamic energy to the story.

The cinematography is a highlight, with many beautifully shot scenes that give the show a prestigious feel. Towards the end of the episode, a larger conspiracy or mystery is introduced, hinting at more complexity to come. While the series has potential, it leaves much to be desired in its character development and narrative depth.

The show's format is reminiscent of other medical and police procedural series, such as Morris Chestnut's role in Rosewood, as well as House and Elementary, which share similar elements.

The show's narrative style also echoes that of House, a medical drama known for it's unconventional approach to solving medical mysteries. Furthermore, the show's intellectual and analytical tone is reminiscent of Elementary, a modern retelling of the Sherlock Holmes set in America.

I am looking forward to watch more episodes. As the series continues to unfold, I'm excited to see how the storylines will evolve and the characters will grow. As each new episode unfolds, I'm eagerly anticipating the surprises and plot twists that will be revealed.