After the death of Dr. Moriarty (Randall Park) at the end of Watson Season 1, John Watson (Morris Chestnut) is ready to move on with his life and get back to seeing patients in Season 2. The first season of the CBS drama was chaotic for the geneticist and his team as the evil genius consistently interfered with their research and manipulated multiple members of the team, including Watson himself, to take control of their genetic library. Watson was able to come out on top at the end of the season, poisoning Moriarty so he couldn’t kill anyone else.
We saw Moriarty’s dead body (though I wouldn’t put it past someone that cunning to figure out a way to cheat death), but Watson’s issues from the past are far from over. The famous detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Carlyle) is coming to Pittsburgh to check on his former second, and that’s going to have a big impact on John and his team. While John is determined to focus on solving medical mysteries, Sherlock is definitely going to shake things up.
TV Guide spoke to Morris Chestnut about the upcoming season, John’s relationship with the team, and of course, what we can expect when Sherlock finally arrives on the scene.
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What were you most excited to explore in Season 2 that you didn’t get to dig into as much in Season 1?
Morris Chestnut: It was great to have the looming presence of James Moriarty in Season 1. I love everything that Randall Park did in that role, however, I did feel that because of all the havoc and disruption that Moriarty was imposing on our lives, Watson didn’t get a chance to bond with the team in the way that he could have. That’s what I am excited for in Season 2. The team is stronger now. We’re ramping up the medical mysteries. We’re ramping up the humor, ramping up the emotion. It’s a stronger, cohesive team that’s getting more into a rhythm and solving all of these cases.
What is Watson’s mindset after killing Moriarty in the Season 1 finale? That has major implications for a doctor.
Chestnut: It has tremendous moral implications for a doctor. He’ll deal with that because there are some other situations in Season 2. He has to question a lot about himself when he deals with certain people. It has a huge effect on his life. I would imagine that it has a huge effect on the psychology of a person once you’ve killed someone. John Watson is no different.
What are the goals of the clinic now that Moriarty isn’t there?
Chestnut: One of the things about Moriarty not being there is that John can get back to what he’s always wanted to do: help people. He truly wants to help people get better. He feels that his contribution to the world is solving these rare medical mysteries so that people can live a happy and healthy life. He truly is dedicated to that. Even in the Season 2 premiere, we see his drive, even though he’s treating his “ex-mother-in-law.” You’ll see that drive throughout Season 2. It’s all about helping the patient get better.
It’s been confirmed that Sherlock Holmes is coming to Watson Season 2. What can you tease about that dynamic when John reunites with his best friend?
Chestnut: The Watson and Sherlock dynamic is going to be very typical. They’re longtime friends. Sometimes you have great times with them. We laugh with them. We cry with them. We get angry with them. It’s going to be a lot. Watson still has some questions for Sherlock in terms of what happened to him and how he handles certain things. Watson gave up a lot, dealing with Sherlock, so he needs answers.
What effect will Sherlock have on the team?
Chestnut: The one thing about Sherlock is that you’ll feel his presence. Watson has assembled four of the most brilliant minds that he could find. He’s mentoring them. He’s helping them, but Sherlock is a person that Watson feels like he can go to for answers. That dynamic between mentoring the team and then going to Sherlock to help with these medical mysteries — it’s a great dynamic.
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And how is his personal life going in Season 2? It seemed like he was finally moving on from Mary at the end of last season.
Chestnut: Laila is still present in Season 2. It is going to be one of those things where at the end of a relationship, we always want to make amends to a certain extent. Sometimes we still have ties to certain people we love. He is involved in a relationship that I’m not sure if he’s fully in because he still realizes the damage and the things he did wrong in his previous relationship. He’s still working through a lot of feelings and a lot of situations within himself, and in that relationship dynamic.
And his previous connection is still his boss.
Chestnut: That’s true. However, she wasn’t always his boss. They have a long history and it was revealed in Season 1 that there are important parts of that history he didn’t know at the time. He’s still trying to come to terms with a lot of things relative to his boss.
Watson Season 2 premieres Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 9/8c on CBS. Episodes are available the next day on Paramount+.
