Morris Chestnut, star of the new series “Watson,” delved into Arthur Conan doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes stories to prepare for his role. The series, created by Craig Sweeny, explores the power and challenges of reimagining such well-known characters.

Sweeny’s previous work includes serving as an executive producer on “Elementary,” which featured Lucy Liu as Watson.

Chestnut acknowledges the current cultural landscape,stating,”It can be political. We are in times where things that normally wouldn’t be political have turned political. You can’t ignore that. It was ambitious to do everything we’ve done on this show,and I’m glad we never steered away from anything.We jumped right in.”

He also reflects on the balance between honoring the source material and making the role his own. “Just like all these actors who want to play James Bond, you need to make it your own, but you also don’t want to mess it up. When you’re just trying to be different from everybody else, what remains of that character? Luckily, we had more creative license because (a) it’s a modern-day retelling of the story, and (b) it focuses on just Watson and no Holmes.”

In “Watson,” his character is still grappling with the death of Holmes at the hands of Moriarty. He establishes the Holmes Clinic, dedicated to treating patients with unusual ailments. While his deductive skills remain sharp, he is also portrayed as vulnerable.

Chestnut elaborated on his character’s complexities, stating, “There’s always going to be a weakness in everything and every person. We reveal things that make him go: ‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’ And he’ll apologize for it,” speaking to Variety at Monte-Carlo Television Festival.

He also shared his perspective on playing a well-known character: “When you’re playing an iconic character, you’re always going to be subject to some type of criticism or judgment, so you just hope to do them justice. Also,there’s something liberating about playing a ‘sidekick.’ If you think about it, most sidekicks steal the show.”

The character in “Watson” draws inspiration from a real-life figure. “He’s a world-renowned geneticist. He can literally look at a person and tell where they’re from,what type of ailments they have,what type of foods they need to be eating.” Chestnut is also familiar with medical roles, having appeared on “Nurse Jackie.”

“I do love playing doctors,” he laughs.

He also commented on the prevalence of medical dramas, saying, “You’ll never see a proper medical movie anymore because of all these great dramas: ‘ER,’ ‘House,’ ‘Gray’s Anatomy.’ You can’t do it! But even tho they share the same occupation, there are nuances that make these characters so different. I also played a doctor in ‘The Resident.’ He’s one of my favourite characters of all time. His only goal was to make money: he would put a patient through surgery they didn’t need. It was all very twisted. People still say to me: ‘I hated him, he was so mean’. I love it.”

While flawed, Watson is portrayed as a fundamentally good person.

He also takes on a mentorship role,guiding younger colleagues who are learning to combine medicine with detective work.

“He knows a lot about people, science and medicine, but he’s not arrogant. I hope it doesn’t come off like he’s a know-it-all, because he genuinely wants to help.”

Chestnut emphasizes the show’s unique blend of genres. “With so much content on streaming, cable, networks, it’s really hard to distinguish yourself nowadays.We use the Sherlock Holmes mythology without Sherlock Holmes, so we still needed an element of who he was. ‘Watson’ is a medical show with an investigative spine,” explains Chestnut.

the series has been renewed for a second season, and Chestnut is enthusiastic about the future.

“In this industry, there are infinitely more failures than there are successes. But no matter how many times we fail, we keep trying to find something the audience responds to. I’d definitely want to continue,” he says.

When asked if his character will find a Watson-like companion, Chestnut teased, “Everyone he’s brought into the clinic is there for a very specific reason.”