Watson: A New Sherlock Holmes Series Risks Repeating a Fatal Mistake!
The Upcoming Watson Show: Can It Avoid the Mistakes of BBC's Sherlock?
CBS's upcoming Watson series, based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic characters, is already facing a major hurdle: repeating the very mistakes that doomed the critically acclaimed yet controversial BBC's Sherlock. The legacy of Sherlock Holmes is immense, influencing countless adaptations across time periods, and countless artists continue borrowing and reinterpreting this timeless tale of intrigue and deduction! Watson stars Morris Chestnut as the titular character and, significantly, introduces that infamous character, Moriarty, who was originally Holmes' archnemesis and killer, raising significant questions about that possible storyline and how to handle an iconic character like Moriarty effectively and without ruining the whole series.
Watson is shaping up to be this exciting medical drama with detective elements, setting things in modern-day Pittsburgh; with that significant reveal and teaser of Moriarty's return. This raises major concerns about Watson’s use of this iconic character and what these plot developments actually mean for that ongoing story; which is crucial considering Moriarty's immense importance in Doyle's original stories!
Moriarty: A Double-Edged Sword
A year after Sherlock Holmes’ death, Dr. Watson (Chestnut) begins working at a clinic. But guess what? Moriarty is back! This brings about this interesting and potentially problematic confrontation between Watson's present and his complicated, troubling past! And yes, we get the exciting prospect of Watson facing his best friend's murderer once more!
Chestnut, teasing Moriarty's role in an interview with Deadline called Moriarty that "very challenging nemesis" that's impossible to permanently defeat; hinting towards some sort of continued involvement and a recurring threat; that much-needed tension that will fuel Watson’s continuing narrative throughout. It’s uncertain whether Moriarty will be a recurring presence; a looming danger lurking in the background; or fully incorporated into every major plot element! However, this very use of Moriarty could repeat what killed BBC's Sherlock–even with Andrew Scott’s amazing performance!
BBC’s Sherlock: How Moriarty Overshadowed Everything
BBC’s Sherlock was hugely successful but controversial. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as the legendary detective duo and introducing them into the contemporary setting, the show cleverly reimagines Holmes’s classic stories within modern times. That series heavily teases Moriarty's presence from the start, featuring him heavily in season 2 despite that season introducing multiple cases and suspects and suspects involved throughout! And Andrew Scott’s Moriarty? Amazing.
However, even his genius performance as Moriarty proved to be this series’ downfall! It relied on Moriarty heavily; through flashbacks, hallucinations, even potential returns across Sherlock's later seasons and a special episode. That obsession with Moriarty creates plot complexities and the overall writing of that series falls apart due to too much dependence, essentially overshadowing other storylines and plots and causing major confusion for many viewers! This became increasingly obvious across later seasons. It made everything messy.
Watson's Moriarty Must Be Unique to Truly Succeed
Watson's biggest challenge is creating a completely different Moriarty; an entirely new, modern interpretation without copying Scott's portrayal. Elementary had a female Moriarty, played by Natalie Dormer. BBC's Sherlock showed Moriarty as a very different criminal. However, Scott's performance might affect other show's attempts too heavily at modernizing this infamous criminal; simply by becoming that comparison point and generating many unavoidable and possibly unintentional comparisons.
Watson shouldn’t rely on that trope of just re-using and replicating Moriarty’s established and very familiar appearance! It could just ruin it; thus a truly distinct character needs to be shown and a reimagining is absolutely necessary to create that truly unique persona; capable of generating sufficient excitement while avoiding unnecessary confusion among viewers, and only those who are unfamiliar with prior renditions!
Conclusion: Can Watson Avoid a Fatal Repetition?
Watson could be a hit. But the smart thing would involve the series showing complete originality and that necessary distance from Sherlock, not least by its innovative choices; demonstrating an originality that other titles often completely fail at replicating successfully. It needs to show independence by completely changing things in a fresh and very clever way! Otherwise, relying on Moriarty too heavily risks mirroring BBC's Sherlock’s fate. A missed opportunity!
