Watson

The pilot kicks off CBS's new medical drama with decidedly mixed results. The episode introduces us to Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) as he takes charge of his new department, but the dynamics feel as artificial as a plastic skeleton in a med school classroom.

The resident doctors working under Watson seem to have graduated from the School of TV Medical Clichés rather than actual medical school. There's the overly confident one who makes rookie mistakes, the timid one who actually knows their stuff but can't speak up, and the competitive one who's trying too hard to impress. Their interactions with Watson lack any natural rapport, making their teaching moments feel more like awkward job interviews than mentorship.

However, the episode does have two saving graces. The first is the wonderful Rochelle Aytes, whose presence lights up every scene she's in. She brings a grounding element to the show that makes you wish she had more screen time.

The second highlight is the genuinely surprising twist ending. Without spoiling too much, it cleverly ties back to Watson's past with Sherlock Holmes in a way that promises more intriguing developments. It's the kind of reveal that makes you reconsider earlier scenes and wonder how it will affect future episodes.

The medical case of the week is serviceable, though it suffers from the supporting cast's lack of chemistry. Watching Watson's team stumble through differentials feels less like brilliant minds at work and more like a group project where nobody did the reading. Even their celebratory moment after solving the case has all the warmth of a hospital waiting room.

The production values deserve credit - the hospital setting looks appropriately high-end, and the medical procedures are well-staged. The directors clearly know how to shoot medical drama, even if the material they're working with needs a stronger prescription.

Despite its flaws, the episode ends on such an intriguing note that it earns its five stars almost entirely on the strength of its final five minutes and Aytes' magnetic performance. Whether the show can maintain interest beyond this hook remains to be seen, but for now, it's just enough to make you curious about episode two.

Bottom Line: A rocky start saved by Rochelle Aytes' stellar presence and a twist ending that actually surprises. The show needs urgent care when it comes to its supporting cast chemistry, but there might be enough here to keep viewers coming back for a few more appointments.

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?

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.

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.

We were really looking forward to Watson. We were also extremely underwhelmed. My biggest issue, which may or may not have contributed to low rating is the way Morris Chestnut talks. Because his voice is so low along with how fast he talks I could barely understand him. His lines were a mumbled jumble of words which I could not understand. Along with subject matter of the Pilot, I didn't get it. I also thought that the writers could have dumbed it down a little for we the audience to understand. I finally put it all together and understood what was going on. I also thought the Pilot was flat, nothing that drew me in to pay attention.

I will give it another chance or two and see if it gets better.