The world of Sherlock Holmes returned to the small display screen in a model new approach early within the 2025 TV schedule through Watson on CBS, with Morris Chestnut starring not because the famed detective, however as Dr. John Watson in his efforts to honor his late buddy. Sure, James Moriarty was the villain of Season 1 and acquainted names like Irene Adler from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes tales have been included, however the detective has been useless from the beginning. So, it got here as a shock when Sherlock was a part of an episode… form of. We heard simply his voice, and he was performed by none apart from the one and solely Matt Berry.
In case you’ve seen any of Matt Berry’s work, as much as and positively together with What We Do In The Shadows, you may agree with me that he has one of the distinctive British voices in showbiz right this moment. So, after I spoke with showrunner Craig Sweeny concerning the Season 1 finale (which is offered streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription), I additionally needed to ask about casting an actor with such a particular voice for Episode 7. He shared:
We had written this script the place there have been auditory hallucinations, the place Watson was listening to, due to what we later realized what Moriarty was doing, he was listening to the voice of Sherlock. And we received all the way in which to post-production of that episode with out actually pondering an excessive amount of about, like, ‘Okay, who’s going to do that voice?’ And we have been in an enhancing session, and I stated, ‘It will be so cool to have Matt Berry do that.’ For precisely the explanations you simply stated.
The Watson workforce didn’t have Matt Berry in thoughts when the script was written or the episode was even filmed, however the stars aligned for that – as Sweeny stated – ”so cool” casting to work out. After all, Sherlock showing in live-action could be very completely different, however that was the actual model of Sherlock Holmes’ voice in Watson canon. The showrunner continued:
You possibly can hear him play that function, and despite the fact that you by no means see his face, he has a really, very distinct voice. And that was simply stated like principally a want that might by no means come true. And god bless our Geoff Hemwall, our post-production supervisor. He dug round within the sofa cushions and located a option to make it occur.
I wish to add my because of Geoff Hemwell, as a result of Matt Berry was such a enjoyable shock in that episode… despite the fact that Watson wasn’t having something near enjoyable as he hallucinated on the job. Berry wasn’t utilizing the cadence that he turned so well-known for as Laszlo on What We Do In The Shadows, however there was no mistaking him. I additionally requested Craig Sweeny if there was any probability that we’d see live-action Sherlock as a part of Watson’s story in Season 2, all he would say is “There’s an opportunity.”
Watson definitely didn’t endure and not using a live-action Sherlock within the first season, particularly since an look from him may have overshadowed the early days of the present. Maybe he may flip up sooner or later, if there’s something left in these sofa cushions to convey him in!
In case you missed the primary season of Watson, you possibly can test it out now on Paramount+. Whereas there may be the serialized story of Moriarty plaguing John and his workforce having secrets and techniques of their very own, a lot of the present is procedural with medical circumstances of the week, so it’s a enjoyable watch if you happen to take pleasure in uncommon diseases on the small display screen and/or Sherlock Holmes lore. The present received’t be again for Season 2 till early 2026, so there’s loads of time.