CBS' medical mystery drama series Watson puts a clever spin on the overused Sherlock Holmes mythos, and now the show has scored a season 2 renewal. Developed by Craig Sweeney, the show stars Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson who has returned to the world of private medical practice in the aftermath of the apparent death of Sherlock Holmes. While applying his brilliant medical mind to some of the most vexing cases in Pittsburgh, Watson must also grapple with his own past and the challenge of some famous villains from the original source material.

Despite the unceasing deluge of Sherlock Holmes-inspired movies and TV shows, Watson proves that there is always something new to see from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic works. Perhaps the biggest storytelling opportunity within Watson is its focus on medical mysteries, as opposed to the typical murder and mayhem found in Sherlock Holmes' casebook. This opens the door for new types of mysteries that put the titular doctor in his element and out of the shadow of his famous partner. After a triumphant debut and high ratings, CBS opted to renew Watson for a second season.

Watson Season 2 Latest News

CBS Preemptively Renews Watson For Season 2

Even before the debuting midseason series was able to finish its first outing, the latest news confirms that Watson has been renewed for a second season. The news broke in the wake of the show's impressive debut, and despite somewhat negative reviews, Watson was clearly a ratings hit from day one. Now, CBS has opted to give the show a place on the network's 2025-2026 slate, though a release date won't come for some time.

Season 1 of Watson concluded on May 11, 2025.

When speaking with Screen Rant, showrunner Craig Sweeny also confirms that Watson season 2 will continue to borrow elements from the Sherlock Holmes lore after the events of season 1 - the show did not simply use Moriarty, one of the most famous Holmes villains, as a jumping off point:

The Sherlock Holmes canon will not go away. In fact, it will be present in a new and hopefully inventive way in season 2. It's not as simple as like, "Well, we did Moriarty, so now we'll do Gruner, and this time he's stealing the post-it notes instead of the DNA.” … We work the lore in what I think is going to be a really pleasantly surprising way for the audience in season 2. But yes, we're not just saying the flavor of the stories, but actual events and characters from the stories will figure into season 2.

Watson Season 2 Is Confirmed

Watson Is Back On The Case In Season 2

Watson's first episode was the most-streamed episode of CBS' 2024-2025 season.

With CBS' slate in flux due to a myriad of cancellations and renewals, Watson's future was anything but certain. However, the Sherlock Holmes-inspired show proved to be an immediate ratings success, which made CBS' decision much easier. The network ordered season 2 of Watson in March 2025, almost two full months before the season 1 finale in May. Riding high off an early ratings bump, Watson's first episode was the most-streamed episode of CBS' 2024-2025 season. Since then, numbers have held steady in season 1.

Watson premiered on January 26, 2025.

Now that CBS has renewed the show, it's been confirmed that Watson will be part of the network's 2025-2026 season. The series was not announced as part of the CBS fall schedule, however, which means Watson will be a midseason series for season 2 as well.

Watson Season 2 Cast Details

Will Morris Chestnut Return As Dr. Watson?

Though the cast of most Sherlock Holmes-inspired series feature the dynamic duo of Holmes and Dr. Watson as its centerpiece, Watson is unique because the latter takes center stage. It seems highly certain that Morris Chestnut will be back to reprise his role as Dr. John Watson in season 2, especially since the series is his namesake. ing him will most likely be Rochelle Aytes as Dr. Mary Morstan, Watson's former wife and current colleague with whom he works very closely on his cases.

The rest of the cast of Watson includes Eve Harlow as Ingrid Derian, who often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, and Peter Mark Kendall as twin doctors Stephens and Adam Croft. Inga Schlingmann appears as Sasha Lubbock, a brilliant immunologist, while Ritchie Coster plays reformed criminal Shinwell Johnson, an istrative aid to the clinic who uses his underground connections to help the team.

Finally, Randall Park has was cast against type as Holmes and Watson's most nefarious adversary, Moriarty, but his time on the series ended with the season 1 finale.

The presumptive cast of Watson season 2 includes:

Watson Season 2 Story Details

Is Sherlock Really Gone For Good?

Though the overarching narrative about Moriarty and Watson's past was fascinating for the first season, the weekly medical mysteries are really the heart of the show's ongoing appeal. Each new challenge that enters the clinic pushes Watson and his team to the limit, and medical drama certainly never fails to be compelling.

One mystery that needs to be solved is whether Sherlock is really dead, and it stands to reason that he could have survived if Moriarty did

Moriarty's villainous plan in the first season almost cost one of the of Watson's medical team their life, but the group managed to find an unorthodox method to save the day. Watson also, ultimately, opted to make sure Moriarty could never hurt anyone again. Though Moriarty's time in the series is done, other Sherlock Holmes characters from Doyle's original stories could see modern adaptations make their way into Watson season 2.

One mystery that needs to be solved is whether Sherlock is really dead, and it stands to reason that he could have survived if Moriarty did. Whatever happens in Watson season 2, it's bound to be a mix of medical drama and classic mystery.