I'm Into CBS' Watson, But There's One Thing I'm Really Excited About

There are a lot of shows on the 2025 TV schedule worth checking out, and one of them recently premiered on CBS. After watching the premiere of Watson, I can confirm its description as a "doc-tective" series is apt, and I think it has a lot of potential. I say that with extreme confidence after watching the first episode, which featured one thing I'm really excited about.

Morris Chestnut is about as great a leading man as possible, even though his character, John H. Watson, was the sidekick in the famous Sherlock Holmes stories. The end of the pilot episode, currently available with a Paramount+ subscription, shows us another iconic character of the franchise, and it's what I'm most excited about in this series.

Randall Park As Moriarty Was An Unexpected Surprise

Watson does something great early in the episode when we witness a flashback in which the main character sees his former partner, Sherlock Holmes, battling his rival Moriarty before they both plunge into a river. The shot is from so far away it's impossible to see who the actors are playing the two legendary characters, but it's enough to get your mind wondering on who they could possibly be. At the episode's end, we get the answer on one of them, and it's none other than Randall Park.

Readers likely know Park from the litany of shows and movies he's done over the years, including quite a few projects on network television. We've seen him do everything from the family sitcom to the MCU, but Watson is a unique role for the actor. Sure, he played Kim Jong Un in the comedy The Interview, but this will be the first time he's played a villain quite so serious as Professor James Moriarty.

It's an unconventional casting, but one that I don't imagine was taken lightly. As I mentioned, Randall Park is a pretty prolific actor in Hollywood, and I can't imagine bringing him on for the CBS series was the most budget-friendly option. Watson clearly has a plan for Park as Moriarty, and so far I can say I'm ready to see where they go with it.

Randall Park Is More Known For Comedy Than Drama, So How Will This Work?

As I mentioned, Randall Park isn't often playing a villain in his roles. He's the everyman funny guy, even when he has a more serious job like the handler for a superhero. The bulk of his career was built on comedy, and even in his opening Watson scene, there's a sense that his comedic chops are shining through. He has such a cornball smile that one wouldn't expect from a bad guy, especially Moriarty.

Moriarty is a criminal mastermind in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes book, basically acting as the anti-Sherlock in his appearances. He acts more in service to other criminals, helping them strategize and evade law enforcement, all for a cut of their profits in their criminal enterprises.

My gut instinct is to say that Randall Park is too nice and affable to be Moriarty, but the reality is, I'm not sure that's true. Sure, Moriarty was created to be a foil to Sherlock Holmes, but there's actually very little written about him in the original books. He only appears in a couple of adventures, and actually there are more episodes of Star Trek that feature Moriarty as a character than Doyle-penned Sherlock Holmes stories that directly feature the villain.

All this to say, while Randall Park's Moriarty may be different from the portrayals of the character we've seen in more modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes, I can't sit here and act like that immediately makes it inaccurate. Not only that, but we previously covered how Watson seems to make a lot of key changes to important characters from the franchise, so it's not like he'll be the odd man out in doing something a bit differently than expected.

Who Will Be The Sherlock Holmes To Rival Randall Park's Moriarty?

Now that we know who Moriarty is, I suspect Watson has opened Pandora's Box. While Sherlock Holmes is said to be dead in the CBS series, the fact that we saw Moriarty survive almost has to mean there's a solid chance that the great detective is also around somewhere as well. The gauntlet has been thrown down with Randall Park as the villain, so who will be the polar opposite and play Sherlock Holmes?

I'm curious about the possibilities, but as mentioned, I think it's dangerous territory for Watson. After all, this is a medical detective series centered on Dr. Watson, and bringing in Sherlock no doubt will make the audience interested in the title hero. Such is the risk when making a series about the sidekick, as you can't make a Robin series and then not dangle the carrot of Batman almost immediately.

For that reason, I can't help but think we'll see who is playing Sherlock Holmes by the end of Watson Season 1. If that doesn't happen, I don't think I'll be disappointed, but I can imagine that there will be viewers continuing to question whether the character is alive and if we'll get to see them in future seasons (should CBS renew it).

Let's just hope that if Watson decides to give us Sherlock Holmes, it's an actor as offbeat and surprising as a choice as Randall Park. I think that the only way it works is if we get someone as equally unexpected in the role, but I could be wrong. After all, Morris Chestnut makes for an excellent Watson, and I wouldn't want to see anyone else doing the role. Perhaps a more conventional Sherlock would make for better chemistry between the two of them? We'll just have to wait and see if it happens.

Starting February 16, Watson begins airing Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. The series is off to a strong start, in my opinion, especially with this unique casting for its big bad. I can only hope it keeps up the momentum as we watch Season 1, and that audiences respond and give it a lot of love.