SPOILER ALERT:The story includes details from the series premiere of CBS drama seriesWatson.
I thought, well, surely thats been done.
DEADLINE:Did you say Eureka at that moment?
Morris Chestnut on ‘Watson’Colin Bentley/CBS
SWEENY(laughs): I didnt.
Does it necessarily need the word itself If youre having the feeling.
I felt eureka, I dont know if I said it.
‘Watson’: Randall Park as MorairtyCBS
DEADLINE:And is Sherlock really dead?
We didnt see a body.
Now, of course, even in Conan Doyles stories, Sherlock is not truly dead.
My belief is that Holmes is gone.
DEADLINE:Why did you decide to make both Watson and Moriarty Americans?
And in the world ofWatson, is Sherlock English or is everyone American?
SWEENY: No, no, Sherlock is British, English, in particular.
But yes, the canon happens in London with Sherlock as a British man.
SWEENY: Im always thinking about whats the most fun for the audience.
DEADLINE:How did Randall Parks casting come about and what was his reaction when he was first approached?
I sent him a text and said, would you want to do that?
He comes back quite a bit over the course of the season.
DEADLINE:Is he recurring or a series regular?
SWEENY: Hes recurring.
DEADLINE:What is Moriartys beef with Watson?
What does he want from Watson?
SWEENY: I wouldnt say he has a beef with Watson.
DEADLINE:So these were DNA samples in that case?
Were we supposed to figure that out?
Shinwell only said samples.
We intentionally didnt connect it fully but yes, those are DNA samples in that case.
DEADLINE:What was with that polo shirt Moriarty was wearing with an Always and Everywhere logo.
Does he work for a security company?
He has a front called Always and Everywhere that is a mock tech company.
Its just his way of moving through the world in a way that doesnt attract attention.
DEADLINE:What can you tease about the storyline between Moriarty and Watson this season?
DEADLINE:Shinwell Johnsonis from the books, right?
What is his agenda?He seemed very sad over Sherlocks death and very loyal to him and Watson.
And then we see him working with Moriarty.
SWEENY: Yes, Shinwell Johnson does appear in Arthur Conan Doyles stories.
He is a London criminal who reforms himself and informs on developments in the underworld to Sherlock Holmes.
A version of Shinwell Johnson appeared onElementary as well.
DEADLINE:Will there be more nods to the Sherlock canon?
There is a line in the pilot ,We are doctors were not detectives.
How much are we going to be reminded of the Holmes connection?
SWEENY:Its primarily a medical show, but the methodology of Sherlock is definitely applied consistently.
The enormous influence of Sherlock upon Watsons life is ever present as well.
Yes, they do, at times, find themselves in a criminal situation as well.
The character Lestrade, who is among the Scotland Yard detectives that Holmes works with.
DEADLINE:Any other familiar characters that we are going to see this season?
She comes in for an episode.
There are many, many, many easter eggs, even within the pilot.
DEADLINE:Can you mention a couple?
Since reading that, I dove in immediately into the canon.
That research provided a very comfortable foundation for slipping back into the world.
In some ways, it was like putting on a bathrobe that makes you feel very much at home.
For me, it was just natural.
DEADLINE:Watson wears a Carnegie Mellon University sweatshirt, is he an alumni?
SWEENY: Yes, Watson is an alumni of CMU.
And we actually shot in the Tepper Center, which is their business school.
Some of the pilot was shot there, were pretending that its a hospital.
I think the other thing that distinguishes us fromHouseis that its 14 years of medicine.
Were exploring a lot of different corners of knowledge thanHousewould.
DEADLINE:What about the decision to make Watson a geneticist?
I dont think that field even existed by that name back when the original Watson character was created.
SWEENY: Its the locus of a lot of current research and knowledge.
It was very important to me to have a partnership with a physician.
I wanted something different, I wanted more of a partnership.
DEADLINE:You have identical twin characters played by the same actor.
Why did you decide to do that?
You couldnt find actors who are identical twins?
SWEENY: I never tried to find identical twin actors.
Obviously thats something thats been done and done extraordinarily well in films.
DEADLINE:I would be remiss if I dont addParent Trapwith Lindsay Lohan to the list.
SWEENY:Yes, youre right.
Im remiss, too.Parent Trapis the OG.
Hes getting some help, but the pills are not going to make things better.
How much will Watson have to deal will his personal demons this season?
So yes, that will complicate his practice.
Can they be friends?
Hes struggled with all of that throughout.
He has these intense relationships with patients who he really, really cares for.
And thats another important distinction fromHousewhere the empathy onHousewas much more buried under layers and layers of sarcasm.
Watsons heart is out there for his patients.
DEADLINE:How did Morris Chestnut get on your radar for Watson?
And was it an easy sell for him to do the show?
SWEENY: It was an easy sell for me.
When youre writing a pilot, obviously you havent cast roles.
And so theres a danger that youre writing abstract voices.
I pictured several different performers as I was writingWatson.
When he expressed interest, it was by far the easiest lead casting experience I ever had.
We met once, CBS approved it, and he took the role.
It was beautiful, I was blessed.
DEADLINE:In closing, what should viewers expect fromWatsonthis season?
And you’re free to learn something new about the world.
So I hope people will enjoy it.
