Sherlock Holmes is one of the most popular characters in the history of fiction. Since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created the character, he's been adapted and reimagined countless times. There are actually two current versions of the characters on TV today, with the CW’s period piece, Sherlock & Daughter, and CBS’ modern medical drama, Watson.
The new series follows from another modern-day adaptation of the characters on CBS that was also produced by Watson producer Craig Sweeney, Elementary (which is streamable with a Hulu subscription). That show took the uncommon step of making Holmes’ sidekick female, creating Joan Watson as played by Lucy Liu. The current TV Watson, Morris Chestnut, recently told Deadline that he is very interested in getting his predecessor to appear on the current series, and I love it. He said…
I’m trying to track her down and get her to come on our show because, yes, that would be great if we could get her.
Chestnut, who also executive produces Watson, made it clear that there are no current talks with Lucy Liu to get her to appear, but that he is serious about trying to get her on the show. This would be a great moment for fans, as it may be fair to assume that more than a few of the people watching Watson had previously been viewers of Elementary.
Watson is set in the period following Sherlock Holmes' famous death at the Reichenbach Falls. The eponymous character runs a clinic where he tackles medical cases that confound other doctors, not unlike House, M.D., which was itself inspired by Holmes.
Lucy Liu would certainly play a different character, but she would be great as a high-profile guest star. An obvious way in is for the actress to play a patient of the week, dealing with whatever mysterious ailment is stumping Watson and his team at that time. Alternatively, depending on what the plans are for Watson's second season, there might be a recurring role available that could bring Liu in for a longer story.
For her part, Liu was recently asked if she had any interest in returning to Elementary. She didn’t indicate any particular desire to do so, but she did indicate that she enjoyed her time on the series, which ran for seven seasons from 2012 to 2019. So maybe an appearance on a related, but unconnected, show is something she’d be up for if asked.
If the Charlie's Angels icon is interested in joining a brand-new world of Sherlock and Watson, there’s plenty of time to find the right place for her. We already know that Watson Season 2 isn’t set to debut until early 2026. This gives the series' producers quite a bit of time to figure out where they want to go.
Ultimately, I'm curious to see whether the new series ends up having two Watsons before it ever gives us this universe’s version of Sherlock Holmes. However, Morris Chestnut also implies that day will likely come, though exactly when is anybody’s guess. In the meantime, you can stream Chestnut's show using a Paramount+ subscription.
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