Deadline explains that
Watson takes place in a
different contemporary
Sherlock Holmes universe, one where the famous detective has already been killed by his nemesis, Moriarty.
With no opium-addicted detective’s coattails to hang off of, Watson becomes “the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders.” But don’t get too comfortable, because
Deadline goes on to say that “Watson’s old life isn’t done with him, though—Moriarty and Watson are set to write their own chapter of a story that has fascinated audiences for more than a century.” That means it’s a medical drama… with an evil villain involved in some way! That’s not a bad hook!
Of course, proper Baker Street Irregulars will know that Sherlock Holmes getting killed Moriarty is a thing from the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories, and the only thing more famous than Sherlock Holmes getting killed in one of the stories is that Sherlock Holmes
came back in one of the other stories. It happened in
Sherlock, it happened in the Robert Downey Jr. movies, it happened in
Sherlock Holmes In The 22nd Century, it even happened on
Elementary! So, you know, don’t be surprised when he eventually comes back on
Watson as well.
Watson is currently in development at CBS, and in addition to Sweeny, its team of executive producers includes Shäron Moalem, a real geneticist and physician who apparently discovered hypotrichosis-lymphedema-telangiectasia-renal defect syndrome and nephronopthisis-associated ciliopathy. We don’t know what that means and we won’t look it up, but it sounds like the kind of résumé detail that will be helpful if he’s working on a show about medical mysteries.