The world of Sherlock Holmes returned to the small screen in a brand new way early in the 2025 TV schedule via Watson on CBS, with Morris Chestnut starring not as the famed detective, but as Dr. John Watson in his efforts to honor his late friend. Yes, James Moriarty was the villain of Season 1 and familiar names like Irene Adler from Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes stories were included, but the detective has been dead from the start. So, it came as a surprise when Sherlock was part of an episode… sort of. We heard just his voice, and he was played by none other than the one and only Matt Berry.
If you’ve seen any of Matt Berry’s work, up to and certainly including What We Do In The Shadows, you might agree with me that he has one of the most distinctive British voices in showbiz today. So, when I spoke with showrunner Craig Sweeny about the Season 1 finale (which is available streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription), I also had to ask about casting an actor with such a distinctive voice for Episode 7. He shared:
We had written this script where there were auditory hallucinations, where Watson was hearing, because of what we later learned what Moriarty was doing, he was hearing the voice of Sherlock. And we got all the way to post-production of that episode without really thinking too much about, like, ‘Okay, who’s going to do this voice?’ And we were in an editing session, and I said, ‘It would be so cool to have Matt Berry do this.’ For exactly the reasons you just said.
as Laszlo on What We Do In The Shadows, but there was no mistaking him. I also asked Craig Sweeny if there was any chance that we might see live-action Sherlock as part of Watson’s story in Season 2, all he would say is “There’s a chance.”
Watson certainly didn’t suffer without a live-action Sherlock in the first season, especially since an appearance from him could have overshadowed the early days of the show. Perhaps he could turn up in the future, if there’s anything left in those couch cushions to bring him in!
If you missed the first season of Watson, you can check it out now on Paramount+. While there is the serialized story of Moriarty plaguing John and his team having secrets of their own, much of the show is procedural with medical cases of the week, so it’s a fun watch if you enjoy rare illnesses on the small screen and/or Sherlock Holmes lore. The show won’t be back for Season 2 until early 2026, so there’s plenty of time.