CBS’Watsonpremiered on June 23, 2025 with a diverse cast. The much-anticipatedSherlock Holmestake-off putsThe Resident’s Morris Chestnutin the titular role. Chestnut’s John Waston is trying to move on with his life a year after Holmes' death at the hands of his arch-enemy, the evil Professor Moriarty. To this end, he has opened the Holmes Clinic, in which he treats patients with rare disorders. However, he is always concerned that Moriarty will resurface to wreak more havoc.
Watsonis thespiritual sequel toElementary, the early 2000s CBS mystery show that featured Johnny Miller as the famous detective and Lucy Liu as Holmes' assistant, Joan Watson. The two shows are not set in the same universe, butWatsonis a similar re-imagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s series of detective stories. The new seriesis created by Craig Sweeny, who worked onElementary.Watson’sdiverse cast again offers a fresh take on the popular detective and his sidekick,this time without Holmes appearing in the show.
Morris Chestnut as John Watson
Date of Birth: July 08, 2025
Actor:Morris Chestnut was born in Cerritos, California.He first broke big as Ricky in 1991’sBoyz n the Hood— a character who used his football skills to escape the violence of his South Central neighborhood, and a year later made his TV debut in the short-livedOut All Night. Chestnut has had starring roles inNurse Jackie, Rosewood,andThe Resident. In all three series, he played doctors, making him a natural choice to play John Watson. However, he has played a wide variety of non-medical roles as well, most notably Corey Cash in 2024’sReasonable Doubt.
1991
1992-1993
2004
2011
2013
2013-2014
2015-2017
2019-2021
Reasonable Doubt
2024
Character:Chestnut’s John Watson is a dedicated doctor as well as the best friend of the late Sherlock Holmes. He tries to put his grief aside as best as he can to help people in need of medical treatment; to this end, he has opened the Holmes Clinic, which treats bizarre, undiagnosed medical conditions. Watson has a traumatic brain injury from the incident that led to Holmes' death, which can make some aspects of investigating challenging. He is also dealing with fear of Moriarty resurfacing to cause more trouble.
Rochelle Aytes as Dr. Mary Morstan
Date of Birth: June 06, 2025
Actor:Rochelle Aytes was born in New York City and first came to national prominence inCriminal Minds, where she debuted in season 9 as Savannah Hayes, Morgan’s (Shemar Moore) girlfriend and later wife. She has had several successful roles since then,notably as April Malloy inMistresses, which she filmed at the same time asCriminal Minds.However, Aytes is best known as Nichelle Carmichael inCBS' canceled-then-renewedS.W.A.T.She has also appeared as a guest in many procedurals, such asBones, NCIS, andHawaii Five-0.
2006
2013-2016
S.W.A.T.
2019-2024
Character:Mary Morstan is Watson’s ex-wife, who ended the marriage because she felt that Watson was too obsessed with the cases he was working with Holmes on. However, the two remain friends despite her more grounded, rational approach to medicine.Mary is firm withWatson’s titular character as needed to ensure that the clinic’s goals take priorityand that he practices medicine in a way that will allow it to remain open.
Eve Harlow as Ingrid Derian
Date of Birth: August 20, 2025
Actor:Eve Harlow was born in Moscow shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union, but grew up in Israel and Canada. She guest starred in various shows before landing a short-term role as Tess inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.However,she is best known as Maya in the post-apocalyptic seriesThe 100,which revolved around 100 juvenile delinquents whose mission was to repopulate the planet a century after a nuclear war. Harlow also appeared inThe Night AgentandStar Trek: Discovery.
2017-2018
2014-2019
2023
Star Trek: Discovery
Character:Ingrid Derian is one of the most enigmatic characters inWatson. She is a brilliant neurologist who often thinks outside the box to diagnose and treat patients. However, her unconventionally has not won her any friends among her colleagues, and her aloof demeanor makes it even harder for her to connect with them. Not much is known about her past yet, suggesting that her backstory may be significant.
Peter Mark Kendall as Drs. Stephens and Adam Croft
Dae of Birth: July 25, 2025
Actor:Peter Mark Kendall is the child of South African immigrants and the first of his siblings to be born in America. After growing up in Maryland,he landed the role of Jeffrey in 2015’sGirls,followed by Hans inThe Americans. However, Kendall is best known for playing Joey Thomas, a pathologist who was in love withChicago Med’sSarah Reeseduring the medical drama’s early seasons. He also recently appeared in 2023’sKaleidoscope, a mini-series about a large-scale heist.
2015
2016-2018
Evil
Character:Kendall plays a dual role — identical twins Stephens and Adam Croft, who are both doctors working with Watson. These doctors are specialists in infectious diseases who have opposite personalities. Adam is outgoing while Stephens is quiet and focused on his work. However, both twins have a role to play in solving the medical mysteries that Watson needs their help with.
Ritchie Coster as Shinwell Johnson
Date of Birth: June 26, 2025
Actor:Ritchie Coster was born in London, England, but is well-known in America for playing criminals and psychopaths. He found success in 1998’s TV remake of the Hitchcock classicRear Windowand guest starred regularly inLaw & Orderduring the procedural’s original run before achieving fame asThe Dark Knight’s Chechen in 2008. Coster is also well-known for his roles inTrue DetectiveandTulsa King.His vast experience playing shady characters will serve Coster well for his role inWatsonas an administrative assistant with ties to the underworld.
1998
2000-2006
2008
Tulsa King
2022-2023
Character:Coster’s Shinwell Johnson is a reformed criminal who currently works as an administrative aide for the Holmes Clinic.He’s especially valuable toWatson’s eponymous characterbecause he can use his connections to the underworld to obtain informationthat is not available through legal channels. Additionally, Johnson has the street smarts that Watson needs in order to solve complicated cases.
Inga Schlingmann as Sasha Lubbock
Date of Birth: June 16, 2025
Actor:Inga Schlingmann is an American-born actress who is best known for CBS' now-defunct hit sitcomSo Help Me Todd.Schlingmann has guest starred on various popular shows, includingLaw & Order: SVUandHawaii Five-0.Additionally, she participated in the TV mini-seriesTake Two, in which she played Sloan Simien, a Hollywood producer who is attempting a comeback after leaving the industry for mental health reasons.
2017
2018
So Help Me Todd
2022-2024
Character:Schlingmann’s Sasha Lubbock is a rheumatology and immunology specialist. She stands out from the other doctors not only because of her talent in her field but also because of her relatable personal conflict. She is torn between two cultures and trying to navigate her relationships with her Chinese birth parents and her religious Christian adoptive family. This cultural conflict influences how she views cases, butshe is invaluable to the team inWatsonbecause of her expertise in rare autoimmune disorders.
Watson Supporting Cast and Characters
Randall Park, Adrian Holmes, and Fiona Vroom Enhance The Cast
Randall Park as Moriarty- Holmes' murderer and archenemy returns to torment Watson, who is terrified of Moriarty’s return. Park is best known as Louis Huang inFresh Off The Boatand Jimmy Woo inWandaVisionand the MCU.
Adrian Holmes as Detective Marcus Hayes- Hayes is a local detective who works with Watson to solve crimes in Pittsburgh. The ironically-named Holmes is best known as Philip Banks in the Peacock seriesBel-Air, which is a dramatic reboot of the 1990s comedyThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Fiona Vroom as Dr. Lily Park- Lily is a surgeon who consults withWatson’s Holmes Clinic on an occasional basis. She most recently played Phyllis in the first season ofMurder In A Small Town.
