CBS Renews ‘Watson’ for a Second Season Amid Strong Ratings
CBS has officially announced the renewal of its medical drama Watson, featuring the talented Morris Chestnut in the lead role. This exciting development comes during the show’s inaugural season, reflecting its impressive ratings performance on Sunday nights.
The series made a remarkable debut, attracting 9.58 million viewers after the AFC Championship in January. Over the course of five weeks, the show expanded its viewership to 18.7 million across all platforms, with a staggering 7 million of those viewers tuning in via Paramount+. This notable number marks the highest for any original CBS series on the streaming service this season. In terms of linear viewing data reported by Nielsen, Watson maintains an average audience of nearly 6.8 million viewers per episode, which includes a week of DVR playback but excludes streaming figures.
About the Series and Cast
In Watson, Morris Chestnut portrays Dr. John Watson, who resumes his medical career at a clinic specializing in rare disorders six months after the passing of his close friend and partner, Sherlock Holmes. The series also features a talented ensemble cast, including Eve Harlow, Peter Mark Kendall, Ritchie Coster, Inga Schlingmann, and Rochelle Aytes, with Randall Park guest-starring as Moriarty, the iconic nemesis of Holmes and Watson.
Creative Team Behind ‘Watson’
The series is helmed by showrunner Craig Sweeny, who serves as an executive producer alongside Chestnut, Sallie Patrick, Larry Teng, Shäron Moalem (MD, PhD), Aaron Kaplan from Kapital Entertainment, and Brian Morewitz.
CBS’s 2025-26 Season Lineup
The renewal of Watson is part of CBS’s expanding catalog for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The network has also renewed several other popular dramas, including Elsbeth, FBI, Fire Country, Matlock, NCIS, NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Sydney, and Tracker. In addition, comedy series such as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Ghosts, and The Neighborhood will also return.
For further details on this renewal and more about CBS’s programming, visit the Hollywood Reporter.