Watson

On one hand, this isn't bad. But, on the other hand, I'm not necessarily impressed. I only gave it four stars because although it is a good show, it is only average, hence five stars. Since it isn't really breaking new ground, it loses a star, down to four. So much of this show was ripped straight from House that if I didn't know any better, I'd think I was watching an actual reboot or a some sort of sequel to House. The only thing this show has to do with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, wait, I mean Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are the names of the main character and his best friend. They could've just as well have called this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and named the characters as such without it changing much the plot or the storyline. There is one of two reasons why they title the show and the characters as they did. One, this is from the same producers as House and they didn't want to have an actual reboot. Don't want to risk following House with a mediocre reboot. Or, two, they couldn't get the green light for a House reboot so they simply changed the name of the show and the main character and hope that no one will notice.

CBS's "Watson" feels like it was created by an algorithm that watched "House, M. D." and "Rosewood" but failed to understand what made those shows compelling. Following Dr. John Watson (Morris Chestnut) after his partnership with Sherlock Holmes, the series attempts to blend medical mysteries with detective work, but the result is a tepid, by-the-numbers procedural that lacks both shows' distinctive charms.

Where "House" thrived on Hugh Laurie's caustic wit and brilliant characterization, and "Rosewood" succeeded through Morris Chestnut's charismatic portrayal of an optimistic pathologist, "Watson" provides neither. Despite Chestnut's proven talent, his Watson feels constrained by flat writing and predictable storylines. The show seems afraid to let him be either abrasive like House or charming like Rosewood, leaving the character in a bland middle ground.

The medical mysteries themselves lack the intellectual complexity that made "House" engaging or the local flavor that gave "Rosewood" its Miami pulse. Each case follows such a formulaic pattern that you can practically set your watch by when the first wrong diagnosis will occur or when the obligatory personal connection to the patient will be revealed.

While Morris Chestnut remains as charismatic as ever, both his Watson and the supporting cast just aren't clicking. The ensemble lacks the spark that made shows like "Rosewood" so engaging, and it's particularly frustrating knowing that the entire "Rosewood" cast is currently available - making one wish CBS had opted to revive that superior show instead. The show tries to create tension through Watson's past connection to Holmes, but these references feel more like name-dropping than substantial plot elements. The chemistry between characters is virtually non-existent, making their interactions feel forced and professional to a fault.

Production values are adequate but uninspired. The hospital setting looks like every other medical show's set, and the visual style lacks distinction. Even the music seems pulled from a stock "tense medical moment" library.

The biggest disappointment is how "Watson" wastes its unique premise. The idea of exploring Holmes's former partner as a medical professional could have been fascinating, but instead of diving deep into Watson's psychology or how his time with Holmes shaped his medical approach, we get surface-level procedural fare.

In trying to appeal to fans of both "House" and "Rosewood," "Watson" ends up satisfying neither. It's not unwatchable, but in today's crowded TV landscape, being merely adequate isn't enough. This is especially frustrating given Morris Chestnut's proven ability to carry a medical show, as demonstrated in "Rosewood."

If you're craving medical mysteries, you're better off rewatching "House." If you want Morris Chestnut solving cases with style, return to "Rosewood." "Watson" proves that sometimes, the best elements of two successful shows don't add up to a compelling new one.

It is impossible not to compare to House since it is basically same story, only with less interesting characters and a Sherlock premise that quickly becomes irrelevant to the series.

I readily admit i only watched to half way of 1st episode, and normally i would say at least watch 2-3 episodes before jumping to conclusions, however half an episode in my case at least was enough to know i am not going to be interested in the characters,the storylines, or any half baked Sherlock references they may dream up.

If house had never existed as a series am pretty sure i would give this one 2-3 episodes, or may even have stuckk with it a series or more, but fact is House series does exist, and the same premise of super smart diagnostic medicine solving problems that should never in reality exist within the lifetime of one person let alone weekly, assisted by teenesque helpers who find clues same way Houses team used to, is not going to be interesting enough to keep me interested when have already watched all series of House doing it much better and with more interesting characters and plots. (I would guess some of the plots will be identical to House ones, there are only so many rare symptoms and deseases after all) Make up your own minds of course,but if liked House, i would be surprised if decided to watch a worse version of it with more boring characters.

If you're watching this thinking you're getting anything even remotely to do Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, don't waste your time.

This is a basic formulaic med/md show. If you like that sort of thing, this may be for you. I don't care for them, but my partner usually does, but not this one.

Whose dumb idea was it to throw the Holmes/Watson angle in there? Did they need filler material to make it 40 minute episodes. There is such an utter disconnect between the two concepts. They could have called it Doctor Johnson and His Team Interesting Medical People.

I could tell it was not what it was billed about 20 minutes in and will not watch another episode.

Many have mentioned that this is a clone of House M. D. But but it's not. House was a d!ck... Watson is more of a caring and less blunt type person.

But yes, this is very formulaic and how they proceed to diagnose and investigate does give you House vides, along with another half dozen doctor shows over the years, including Trapper John, MD, Dr. Kildaire, Diagnosis Murder, and of course the king of this genre, Quincy MD.

The supporting casts are ok characters, but again, formulaic. Nothing stands out, nothing original.

It's an ok show, I'm a fan of Chestnut, but this show is just not doing anything different. Maybe that in of itself something many may like.... familiarity.