One of the best parts of CBS’ Watson was the fact that the Matt Berry voiced Sherlock Holmes.
During Season 1 of the series you don’t actually get to see Sherlock. You see a slight vision of him from the perspective of the lead Morris Chestnut aka Dr. John Watson. Watson last saw him tumbling off a waterfall to his supposed death alongside Moriarty. And throughout Season 1, anytime that Sherlock needed a voice, What We Do in the Shadows star Matt Berry stepped in, making us wonder if this was just a Laszlo side-quest. It was delightful, our hope being one day he would be on screen if they chose to go down that path.
Now it’s never going to happen…
Stepping into the role of Sherlock Holmes for Season 2 of Watson is Robert Carlyle (Once Upon a Time, Trainspotting). He’s set to appear in a recurring role capacity. And spoiler-alert, because Deadline really just dropped this juicy detail, “Watson faces an unexpected twist when Sherlock Holmes, who was presumed dead, resurfaces, forcing him to confront a buried secret from his past — one that lies within his own body.”
“We are thrilled to have the mighty Robert Carlyle join the cast of Watson in Season 2,” shared Craig Sweeny, executive producer and showrunner of Watson. “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.”
As a fan of Watson Season 1, the news that Sherlock is back… is kind of disappointing. I reviewed Season 1 here and made peace with the thought that Sherlock wasn’t going to play an active role in Watson’s current journey. It was a harsh reality but one that allowed Watson to flourish as a character in a way that I haven’t seen before in the multiple iterations we’ve had of the detective and doctor duo. It’s made even more disappointing after the showrunner previously said he didn’t want Watson to be competition with a famous character like Sherlock on a show specifically about the doctor.
