‘Watson’s Genius Moriarty Casting, Explained

In the first episode of CBS’s new medical mystery Watson, the ending revealed a surprising choice for an actor to play the series’ villain. Randall Park, an actor who’s normally known for playing friendly roles, adds a chill to his acting as he plays Watson’s main villain, Moriarty.

Watson is loosely based on the Sherlock Holmes stories, with Watson (played by Morris Chestnut) working in a hospital in Philadelphia after the death of the famous detective. The series modernizes the Sherlock Holmes characters, years after Elementary did the same thing. Audiences can catch new episodes of the show on Mondays starting February 16, or on Paramount+.

Watson

Release Date

January 26, 2025

Network

CBS

Showrunner

Craig Sweeny

Directors

Larry Teng

Writers

Craig Sweeny

Randall Park Brings a Twist to Moriarty

At the end of the first episode of Watson, Shinwell Johnson is riding a tram, carrying a briefcase, when a mysterious stranger from the background says, “I could sit here all day. This view. The city looks so vulnerable.” The camera focuses on the stranger, revealing that it’s Moriarty, who was presumed to be dead after having killed Sherlock Holmes. The comment about a vulnerable city is dark, but it’s even darker hearing it from Randall Park, who’s normally such a cheerful person.

Randall Park doesn’t typically play villains, often choosing happy and comedic roles. He played the funny agent Jimmy Woo in MCU projects like WandaVision, and he played a jovial immigrant father in Fresh Off the Boat. Even Shinwell is taken aback by Randall Park playing Moriarty, as he says, “I was expecting someone … different.”

In an interview with USA Today, Park expressed excitement about getting to play the classic Sherlock Holmes villain:

“I’m known for playing amiable, nice guys. So it was a surprise to get the call. A welcome surprise. The idea of playing a villain is thrilling to me.”

Moriarty’s appearance shows some details about the character that will have an impact on the first season of Watson. Shinwell hands Moriarty a briefcase, and as Moriarty reaches for it, viewers can see that two of his fingers are fused together, a condition mentioned earlier in the episode. As Moriarty leaves, he smiles and points at his shirt, which reads, “Always & Everywhere,” as a sign of the villainous hold he has on the city.

How This Moriarty Fits ‘Watson’s Aesthetic

Watson finds Sherlock Holmes’s companion, Dr. John Watson, putting his medical degree to work at a hospital. Instead of solving criminal mysteries, Watson and his team solve medical mysteries. Moriarty’s villain arc is set to tie into the medical world as well, as Shinwell tells Moriarty that the briefcase contains DNA samples. Just before Moriarty receives the briefcase, he remarks that “a germ may even write its name into history here,” hinting at what he may use the samples for.

This is not the only way Randall Park’s Moriarty matches the changes to traditional Sherlock Holmes stories seen in Watson. Watson attempts to modernize the idea of Sherlock Holmes, and Park matches the energy. On the tram, he wears a white polo, jeans, and sneakers, none of which were around when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first created the character.

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Watson isn’t set in England, where Sherlock Holmes stories usually take place. It’s set in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, as noted at the start of the episode. Most of the first episode takes place inside Holmes Clinic, but one of the most prominent Pittsburgh scenes is the moment viewers first meet Moriarty. Moriarty and Shinwell are riding the Duquesne Incline, an iconic Pittsburgh tram. From there, Shinwell and Moriarty can view the whole city, and as villainous as Moriarty might be, he’s not wrong to take it all in, as the city looks beautiful.

Who Is Moriarty, According to Sherlock Holmes Lore?

Moriarty has appeared in many Sherlock Holmes adaptations before Watson. He has been played by many actors, including Ralph Fiennes, Andrew Scott, and even Orson Welles. His notoriety as Holmes’s archenemy has been increased with each adaptation, as the villain only appears in two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original novels.

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Moriarty is an intelligent professor, having come up with theories at a young age. Moriarty is a foil to Sherlock Holmes, often matching the detective’s intelligence but choosing to put his smarts to work for evil. He works with the criminal underworld, acting as a mastermind behind many of the crimes Holmes and Watson have to solve.

One of the most interesting parts about Moriarty serving as the main villain of Watson is that Watson never actually meets Moriarty in the original novels. Everything Watson knows about Moriarty, he learned from Sherlock Holmes. It’s similar to the TV show as Watson doesn’t meet Moriarty and only knows that Moriarty has two fingers that are fused together. Watson also doesn’t know Moriarty is alive yet, so it will be interesting to see how the two characters cross paths in the first season. Stream on Paramount+.

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