CBS has gone through some surprising TV changes — but what caused Watson and multiple other shows to come to an end?
Watson, which aired for two seasons, wrapped up on Sunday, May 3, with several story lines still left unaddressed. The decision to conclude Watson came after DMV was pulled after one season on the network.
CBS originally announced a sweep of early renewals in January, with only Watson and DMV left in limbo. Deadline reported that Watson’s future depended on the success of Marshals and CIA, which both scored quick renewals, while DMV was waiting on its fate as decisions about comedy pilots Eternally Yours and The Tillbrooks (formerly known as Regency) were made.
CBS ultimately renewed 12 dramas for its next season, including all 4 freshman shows: Marshals, CIA, Sheriff Country and Boston Blue. The network also previously picked up two new shows for 2026-27: Robert and Michelle King’s Cupertino and Matthew Gray Gubler‘s Einstein.
Deadline hinted that DMV’s cancellation meant Eternally Yours and The Tillbrooks were expected to proceed beyond the pilot stage at CBS. Watson, meanwhile, ultimately faced some obstacles after initially finding success. Once season 2 was delayed so it could be moved to a slot on Mondays after CIA, Watson saw a dip in viewership. DMV had its own struggles when its delayed multiplatform ratings declined despite getting off to a strong start.
Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s Sherlock Holmes stories, Watson (Morris Chestnut) took place six months after Moriarty (Randall Park) killed the legendary detective. Watson came to terms with the loss of his best friend and partner by resuming his medical career as the head of a clinic dedicated to treating rare disorders.
Season 1 focused on Watson’s rivalry with Moriarty, but the next installment involved Sherlock Holmes (Robert Carlyle) — despite his character’s offscreen death prior to the events of the show.
“It is a procedural show. We have a procedural show with the serialized spine. So ultimately, we will have a case of the week each week that we’re presented with,” Chestnut previously told Us Weekly. “We have to diagnose and then solve them. But there are also going to be a lot of surprises and a lot of twists and turns that the audience may not expect.”
Chestnut said he was thrilled about Watson expanding its storytelling.
“You learn more about the characters on the show. We spent so much time as Watson was dealing with Moriarty and the loss of Sherlock Holmes that it was pretty much dominating,” he continued. “This year, we get more into the characters. We’re going so much more without Moriarty there. We’re going so much more into character development.”
Despite the multiple cancellations, CBS has found success with new additions such as Yellowstone spinoff Marshals, which was picked up for season 2 after its premiere was watched by 20.6 million viewers within seven days. It marked the most-watched network original series premiere without a football lead-in since 2017.
Boston Blue and Sheriff Country also scored quick season 2 pickups, with Sheriff Country averaging 7.6 million viewers and Blue Bloods bringing in 8 million viewers and winning “every Friday night in total viewers.”
