Watson premiered on CBS as a health care provider/detective drama early within the 2025 TV schedule and sadly was not on the listing of 9 exhibits the community renewed again in February. It additionally wasn’t cancelled alongside FBI: Most Needed and FBI: Worldwide in early March, so the wait was on for information of whether or not or not Morris Chesnut’s latest present would get a Season 2. That wait is now over, and the information got here together with scores knowledge for the collection premiere that jogged my memory of what Chestnut and creator Craig Sweeny beforehand advised CinemaBlend.
Rankings And Renewal
The Season 2 renewal for Watson has lastly been confirmed, and it is going to be a part of the 2025-2026 TV season. That does not essentially imply that it’ll return as a part of CBS’ fall schedule quite than held for a midseason premiere early within the new 12 months, however followers can formally depend on seeing extra of John Watson and Co. past the upcoming Season 1 finale. And who is aware of? Maybe extra of Randall Park as Moriarty and Whoopie Van Raam’s Irene Adler, the latter of whom makes her Watson debut within the new episode on March 30.
The excellent news is not too stunning now based mostly on the early and subsequent scores, even supposing it wasn’t renewed concurrently fellow Sunday night time drama Tracker. The collection premiere has been seen by 18.7 million viewers throughout platforms, in reside+35 day totals. Per knowledge from Nielsen in addition to inner numbers, that is sufficient to make it CBS’ most-watched scripted episode of the 2024-2025 TV season and the most-streamed CBS Unique scripted episode amongst viewers with a Paramount+ subscription. That complete is 7 million viewers.
Morris Chestnut And Creator Craig Sweeny Weighed In On The Sturdy Premiere Time Slot
It was seeing these scores numbers that jogged my memory of after I was lucky sufficient to talk with main man Morris Chestnut in addition to creator/showrunner/government producer Craig Sweeny at SCAD TVfest earlier this 12 months. On the time, solely the very first episode had aired on CBS, however the community gave it a really large premiere slot: after the AFC Championship sport between the Buffalo Payments and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
Since Fox was the community airing the Tremendous Bowl this 12 months (versus Tracker getting CBS’ post-Tremendous Bowl slot in 2024), the AFC Championship was truly the strongest NFL night time that CBS may give Watson in early 2025. After I spoke with the Watson workforce on the TVfest purple carpet, I needed to ask – how did it really feel for them to get such a powerful launch from the community? Sweeny responded:
Flattering, a blessing. We’re grateful for it. We have been along with our crew, our LA-based crew,watching the sport, and we’re additionally grateful to the gamers of Payments and the Chiefs for enjoying such a aggressive sport.
I am no NFL knowledgeable, however even I knew that the sport that might resolve whether or not the Chiefs would have a shot at successful their third Tremendous Bowl in three years was going to draw a variety of viewers, to not point out that this wasn’t the primary time the Payments have been the opponent for the shot on the championship. Whether or not soccer aficionados have been rooting for the Chiefs to make Tremendous Bowl historical past with a three-peat or for the underdog Payments to return out on prime, anticipation was excessive.
The sport was additionally extremely shut, with the Chiefs finally successful 32-29. And for non-NFL consultants who have been watching within the hopes of seeing Taylor Swift there to assist Travis Kelce… effectively, they have been in luck. Morris Chestnut shared his two cents on what Sweeny described as “such a aggressive sport” previous Watson, telling me:
All the way in which to the tip! And thanks, Taylor, for displaying up. Everyone stayed tuned to see what occurs.
Craig Sweeny, who got here to Watson with expertise on CBS with dramas related to Sherlock Holmes lore due to Elementary, went on:
My goodness, it could not have been [better]. I suppose if we have been after the Tremendous Bowl, however that simply seems like obscene greed. [laughs] It is the most effective launch you possibly can probably have.
With Fox airing the 2025 Tremendous Bowl, the post-AFC Championship slot fairly actually was “the most effective launch” the Watson workforce may have hoped for in a premiere tied to a NFL sport. The 18.7 million viewers complete after all is not solely accounting for individuals who simply tuned in on that first date, however it’s a secure guess that the quantity can be decrease if not for getting that premiere time slot.
And I can not assist however suspect that airing instantly after Justin Hartley’s Tracker on Sunday nights would not damage both. The actor’s This Is Us follow-up continues to do effectively and was among the many exhibits that obtained early renewals. For extra Watson, preserve tuning in to CBS on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET between Tracker and The Equalizer, or stream through Paramount+.