Watson brought Morris Chesnut back to primetime in a brand new way early in the 2025 TV schedule, complete with a post-NFL premiere to attract the biggest CBS audience possible. That move obviously paid off for the doctor/detective series with a Sherlock Holmes twist, as the network hasn't kept fans hanging until the finale about whether the drama will be back or dropped like the case was for FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted.
Yes, Watson was renewed early for Season 2, and cast members Eve Harlow and Rochelle Aytes spoke with CinemaBlend about the great news... but all signs indicate that trouble is on the way for the remaining episodes of Season 1.
The Stars Weigh In
CBS renewed Watson for Season 2 in late March, with the plan to return as part of the 2025-2026 TV season. Considering that it wasn't renewed at the same time as Justin Hartley's Tracker, which is its partner in the Sunday primetime lineup, there were seemingly reasons to be a bit nervous about the show's future. As it turns out, any worries were unnecessary, and the renewal announcement came with the reveal that Watson averages 6.79 million viewers each week, according to the most current season-to-date data from Nielsen at the time.
The average was undoubtedly helped by those among the 18.7 million who tuned in for the post-AFC Championship premiere, but it also did quite well among fans with a Paramount+ subscription. That first episode is the most-streamed scripted episode of all CBS Originals of the 2024-2025 TV season so far with 7 million.
So, when I spoke with Eve Harlow and Rochelle Aytes ahead of the April 13 episode, which is called "Take a Family History" and focuses a lot on both characters, I had to take the time to ask for their thoughts on Watson's renewal with weeks still to go before the finale airs in May. Eve Harlow, who plays the neurologist Dr. Ingrid Derian with an approach that can range from unconventional to alarming, shared:
Oh my gosh, it was funny. I remember, I saw the phone ring, and it was Craig [Sweeny], the showrunner. I pick up the phone and I was like, 'Craig, you're calling. It's either bad news or good news.' He was like, 'It's secretive news for another couple hours, but we got picked up.' [laughs] It's funny because actually when he called me, I was on my way to have lunch with one of the writers from the show, Anna [Mackey]. It was perfect timing. And then when I met her, I was like, 'Second season! Woo!' Very exciting.
When a showrunner starts making calls in the spring, that can mean the fate of a show has been decided! Fortunately, in the case of Watson this year, the news was good and the Star Trek: Discovery vet was able to celebrate with one of the writers. Good timing on more than one front, I'd say!
Rochelle Aytes, who has been busy elsewhere on CBS for several seasons as part of the S.W.A.T. cast, shared her thoughts. As the actress playing medical director Dr. Mary Morstan, Aytes said:
Oh, such relief. I mean, every week we were getting the numbers and there's stress over that, and you try to just let it go and not think about it, but when we got the news, it was just a blessing. Just a relief to know that we can start preparing and thinking about the next.
Considering that S.W.A.T. has been cancelled three times (and the latest is expected to stick), is it any wonder that Rochelle Aytes considers it a "relief" that Watson received such an early renewal? When I noted to the actress that I hadn't known how great the ratings averages were until CBS' renewal announcement, she responded:
I didn't realize it either, because they count those streaming and I'm not really getting that information. So wow, a lot of people are watching!
For Eve Harlow, Watson is her first venture back on network TV since the end of Fox's short-lived drama Next, also starring Mad Men's John Slattery. She has her own take on this show hitting big with viewers:
That's right. People are watching. [laughs] No, it's very exciting. The team of people behind this are very passionate and very invested, and all have their hearts in the right place, and so it's cool to see that is resonating, and that audiences are invested and watching. Because we're all so invested. I'm just like, 'Oh my god, you care as much as I care? Cool!' It's always nice to see when your work is impacting people.
The future is clearly bright for the show's longevity on CBS, with at least one more full season guaranteed. It remains to be seen if the network will bring it back before the end of the year as part of its fall TV lineup or keep it as a midseason series, but fans can look ahead to the upcoming finale without worrying too much.
Trouble Is On The Way For The Team
Of course, would it really be Watson if there wasn't something – or some people – to worry about ahead of the finale? After all, the show being guaranteed to come back doesn't mean that all the characters and positions will return as well, and "Take a Family History" on April 13 brings Ingrid's lies back to haunt her while Mary bonds with her ex over a tragedy.
Per CBS, the episode that airs just one week later will have a treat for fans who have been enjoying Watson's twists on Sherlock Holmes lore, as Rachel Hayward has been cast to debut as Detective Lestrade in "The Man with the Alien Hand" on April 20. The logline reads:
Watson is thrown into a detective case when he is unsure whether the patient he is treating for one of the most rare ailments in the world, alien hand syndrome, is guilty of pushing his brother in front of a bus to his death.
The mysteries that Watson and the team faces are often contained within the body and whatever is affecting the patient of the week; the next episode will evidently pit them against the mystery of whether or not their patient is also a murderer. "Alien hand syndrome" sounds right up their usual alley, but a criminal case is less typical. That's bound to cause trouble, right?
Well, if not, we can count on some complications from the following episode, called "The Dark Day Deduction" and airing on April 27. Randall Part returns as Moriarty, which I'm looking forward to as a fan of the show, but it's a safe bet that the character is less welcome to the majority of Watson's team. CBS' episode description reveals:
Watson confronts a traumatic event from his Army days that still weighs heavily on him when his Army veteran friend’s wife reaches out begging for help when her husband is seemingly having a psychotic break. Meanwhile, Shinwell is asked for one last favor by Moriarty.
Does "one last favor" bode well for Shinwell and his unfortunate arrangement with Moriarty? Well, I for one am not going to take anything for granted where that character is concerned, and there's still the question of what Moriarty has planned for Ingrid ahead of the finale on May 11.
Keep tuning in to CBS on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET for new episodes of Watson Season 1, since we can all count on much more than what the network gave away early via the episode descriptions. Plus, be sure to check back with CinemaBlend for more from Rochelle Aytes and Eve Harlow about the April 13 episode and what's on the way next.
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