The upcoming CBS show titled Watson seems set to give us a new slant on the classic Sherlock Holmes story. By focusing on the detective’s faithful assistant, Dr John Watson, could this series let us understand Watson better and also start a new trend of putting secondary characters into the spotlight?
Sherlock Holmes in Popular Culture
Sherlock Holmes has become a global sensation, with the character appearing in numerous movies and TV shows. His debut came in the 1880s when Arthur Conan Doyle released A Study in Scarlet. Since then, he’s become a much-loved character, with Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch among the actors to take on the role. Watson is usually by this side during these adventures but is kept firmly in a secondary role.
The way the fictional private investigator has entered popular culture can be seen in the way that visitors flock to the museum with his name on London’s Baker Street. As well as his many appearances on our screen, Holmes can also be seen listed among the online slots recently released. This Sherlock Holmes game is subtitled Box of Mysteries and has been created by Core Gaming. The slot features a selection of bonus features and sits alongside other games based on popular characters, such as Cleopatra and King Kong.
What Do We Know About Watson?
Watson will feature Morris Chestnut in the title role. It’s set in the period after Holmes was thought to have been killed by arch-enemy Moriarty. The movies and TV series made to date have tended to completely miss out on this period of three years following Sherlock faking his death before eventually returning to solve more cases. It looks to be set in the modern day and has been created by Craig Sweeny, who was behind Elementary.
We’ll see the doctor go back to his medical career, which he appears to have neglected in favor of solving mysteries with Holmes. In the new series, Watson becomes the head of a clinic that treats patients with unusual disorders. Amy Reisenbach is Entertainment President at CBS and she has promised medical mysteries as well as a “fresh and unexpected take” on the character.
Other Secondary Characters Who Could Make a Breakthrough
This look at some of the most memorable characters with relatively minor roles includes Janice in Friends (played by Maggie Wheeler) and Franz Constanza ((Jerry Stiller) in Seinfeld. Could these or other much-loved characters get their own shows if Watson is a success?
Frasier is perhaps the best example of a spin-off of this type. Psychiatrist Frasier Crane was played by Kelsey Grammer in Cheers, set in a Boston bar. That popular series came to an end in 1993 and the same year saw the launch of a new show where Frasier returned to Seattle to hook up with his father, brother, and other new characters.
Expect to see Watson hit our screens later this year or in 2025. With so many other series and movies based on Sherlock Holmes, fans will be excited to see a new take on the story and whether it takes the main character in an interesting new direction.
