Watson’s new cast member is far from elementary.
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Once Upon a Time alum Robert Carlyle has been cast as Sherlock Holmes opposite Morris Chestnut as Dr. John Watson. Carlyle will recur beginning in season 2 of the CBS series.
Colin Bentley/CBS
Morris Chestnut in ‘Watson’
Investigative medical drama Watson puts a new spin on the classic literary characters as Dr. John Watson focuses on solving medical mysteries. After the team of “doc-tectives” defeated Moriarty (Randall Park) last season, they will continue to investigate and treat the world’s rarest diseases in their clinic. But with his eyes fixed on the future, Watson will face an “unexpected twist” when his presumed dead best friend Sherlock Holmes resurfaces, forcing him to confront a buried secret from his past.
“We are thrilled to have the mighty Robert Carlyle join the cast of Watson in season 2,” showrunner Craig Sweeny said in a statement obtained by EW. “The man has played iconic roles in projects like Trainspotting, The Full Monty, and 28 Weeks Later… and now he steps into the shoes of the most iconic detective of all, Sherlock Holmes. When Watson’s best friend and former partner makes a shocking reappearance in his life, Watson is forced to confront their shared past — and a secret that may lie buried within Watson’s own body.”
The series premiere kicked off with Sherlock’s presumed death, after he and Moriarty struggled over a gun and ultimately fell off a waterfall, with Watson diving in after them. The doctor was told he was the only survivor, but Moriarty was also revealed to be alive in that same episode. Now, with Sherlock’s return, it turns out all three survived that fight.
With this new role, Carlyle joins the growing list of actors who have played the iconic role of Sherlock Holmes, including Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Henry Cavill, Will Ferrell, Jonny Lee Miller, Ian McKellan, and Michael Caine.
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Watson also stars Eve Harlow as Dr. Ingrid Derian, Peter Mark Kendall as Dr. Stephens Croft and Dr. Adam Croft, Ritchie Coster as Shinwell Johnson, Inga Schlingmann as Dr. Sasha Lubbock, and Rochelle Aytes as Dr. Mary Morstan.
Carlyle is best known for playing the evil Rumplestiltskin on ABC’s fairytale series Once Upon a Time, but has more recently been seen starring in FX’s The Full Monty and Netflix’s Toxic Town. He will next star in Roland Joffe’s JFK thriller November 1963 opposite John Travolta, Mandy Patinkin, and Dermot Mulroney.
Watson returns with season 2 on Monday, Oct. 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
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