Ahead Of Watson’s Fall Finale ‘Personal Crisis,’ The Showrunner Addressed The ‘Understandable’ Fan Theory About John And Sherlock

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As the 2025 TV season winds down, fans of Watson are running out of medical mysteries to solve for the year. However, the CBS drama will finish strong before its break on December 15th. The episode will feature a welcome return from a guest star of season one, and even more excitingly, Robert Carlyle will reprise his role as Sherlock Holmes. Their last meeting in season two left John with many unanswered questions, and according to showrunner Craig Sweeny, those questions will become even more complex in the season finale.

He discussed the last case of Season 2 with TopMob, along with plans for the 2026 television lineup and the widely circulated fan theory connecting Watson and Sherlock.

The Return Of Hobie After Season 1

The show Watson surprised viewers by bringing back Nat Faxon as the character Hobie in the fall finale, “Never Been CRISPR’d.” (You can watch his original appearance now on Paramount+.) This time, Hobie isn’t seeking treatment at the clinic—he’s bringing his girlfriend in because a gene-editing experiment went wrong.

According to showrunner Craig Sweeny, Nat Faxon, who previously appeared on Loot, returned to Watson because he enjoyed playing the character Hobie, even though his role in Season 1 was small. Sweeny added that…

We always hoped to bring the character back. What originally made him so compelling was his loneliness and how he dealt with it – by experimenting with his DNA in risky ways. So, when we discussed his return, it felt natural to explore a love story for him. We felt he deserved happiness, and that became the foundation for the new storyline.

Everyone has a match, and love can blossom even within the world of gene-editing, as seen in the show Watson. Hobie hasn’t quite grasped the dangers of this practice after the events of Season 1, but he turns to John Watson for assistance with Wendy. The show’s creator shared how this friendship will impact the doctor and his team in the season finale.

Things have reached a critical point, though it’s more of a personal struggle for Wendy than an immediate emergency. Her situation is demanding all of our doctors’ focus and they’re trying to understand what’s happening with her.

Most medical dramas reserve huge crises for season finales or premieres, but Watson is different – it’s a doctor and detective show that follows its own unique path. John will be juggling more than just Hobie’s issues, and he’s keeping another returning problem a secret from his colleagues.

The Return Of Sherlock Holmes

The first season of the show focused on John grieving a friend, even experiencing hallucinations of him voiced by Matt Berry. The second season began with that friend surprisingly still alive. Robert Carlyle noted that Sherlock was likely acting strangely due to the secrets he was keeping, and John has been largely in the dark about the central mystery in Pittsburgh. With “Never Been CRISPR’d” being the final episode of the year, the question is whether Sherlock will finally confide in John before the show takes a break. Craig Sweeny addressed this directly, stating:

He’s become even more closed off and unpredictable, and I believe this is influencing how Watson interprets Sherlock’s behavior. You’ll understand John’s explanation for why Sherlock has been so secretive since returning in this episode. Even if the theory isn’t completely right, it’s definitely something Watson considers as he tries to understand Sherlock.

Whether Sherlock can solve the current case is still uncertain, but something will definitely happen that leads John to start figuring out what’s been going on with Sherlock. According to the show’s creator, we likely won’t have a complete understanding of everything until the very end of the episode.

The issues Mycroft is creating for John need to be resolved, but there’s also growing worry about the doctor’s well-being. Recent plot developments support the fan theory that Sherlock didn’t actually return, and John is instead experiencing hallucinations of him. While an episode last November appeared to disprove this idea, the show’s producer acknowledges that the continued doubt is reasonable. He explained:

It’s completely reasonable to feel that way, and I’d be surprised if anyone didn’t. Looking back, there’s evidence both suggesting Sherlock is fictional and that he’s real. The key is whether all of this evidence will eventually come together and make sense. Ultimately, I believe the truth will be different from what either side currently expects.

Sweeny understandably didn’t reveal how or when this mystery will be resolved, but there’s more to consider. While I’m not entirely convinced by the idea that Sherlock was hallucinating, it’s intriguing to think back to the near-miss with Mary almost discovering her ex and his supposedly deceased friend… or stumbling upon something deeply unsettling. The showrunner also discussed how close John’s friends came to uncovering Sherlock’s secret.

We’re crafting these scenes with a clear idea of how the audience will interpret them. It’s obvious she’s nearby but hasn’t noticed him yet. So far, Sherlock has only spoken to Watson – there’s no avoiding that fact.

To find out what happens with Watson, Hobie, Sherlock, and everyone else, you’ll need to watch on Monday night. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of what’s coming up:

The fall finale of Watson Season 2 will air on Monday, December 15th at 10 p.m. Eastern on CBS, right after the two-hour FBI fall finale. Morris Chestnut and the rest of the cast will be back on Sundays, starting March 1st at 10 p.m. Eastern. The show is moving back to Sundays, where it will once again air alongside Justin Hartley’s Tracker, after temporarily airing on Mondays.

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2025-12-16 00:40