Spoilers Below
Television in 2025 is embracing a new wave of Black-led drama, and two of the industry’s most respected actors—Morris Chestnut and Sterling K. Brown—are at the forefront.
With Chestnut taking on a fresh twist on a classic character in CBS’s Watson and Brown headlining Hulu’s high-stakes thriller Paradise, both actors are proving that Black men can not only lead primetime television but also redefine the genres they inhabit.
Chestnut has been in Hollywood for over three decades, known for his films Boyz n the Hood, The Best Man series, and TV dramas such as Rosewood and The Resident. Now, he steps into the world of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, but with a groundbreaking shift—this time, the story belongs to Watson.
In Watson, a new CBS procedural drama from Elementary executive producer Craig Sweeny, Chestnut plays Dr. John Watson after the supposed death of Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. Devastated and recovering from a traumatic head injury sustained while trying to save his closest friend, Watson uses the inheritance left by Holmes to open a state-of-the-art medical clinic. But his work extends far beyond medicine—he and his team of specialists unravel some of the most perplexing medical mysteries while Watson also grapples with his own recovery.
The show, which premiered on January 26 after the NFC championship, also includes Eve Harlow, Peter Mark Kendall, Ritchie Coster, Inga Schlingmann, and Rochelle Aytes.
While Chestnut is breathing new life into a legendary character, Brown is stepping into uncharted territory with Paradise, a Hulu thriller that blends political intrigue with sci-fi survivalist.
Created by This Is Us mastermind Dan Fogelman, Paradise places Brown in a role unlike any he’s played before: Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent caught in a web of secrets after the murder of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden).
The series follows Xavier as he navigates a hidden underground bunker—an apocalyptic survival zone known as Paradise—where the last remnants of humanity reside following a global catastrophe. But as Xavier investigates the president’s murder, he discovers that Paradise may not be the safe haven it seems. The thriller embraces This Is Us-style emotional depth while adding an action-packed, conspiracy-laden edge.
Paradise, which premiered on January 28, marks Brown’s first lead role as No. 1 on the call sheet and his debut as an executive producer. After winning an Emmy for This Is Us and earning an Oscar nomination for American Fiction, Brown is proving he has both the dramatic gravitas and action-star prowess to lead a high-stakes series.
Watson and Paradise‘s depictions of Black men differ from what we are accustomed to seeing on TV. Watson and Collins are portrayed as complex, multifaceted Black men—character leads in genres where they have historically been underrepresented.
Chestnut’s Watson is a brilliant doctor and detective, stepping out of Sherlock Holmes’ shadow to claim his own narrative. Brown’s Xavier is a man of action and intellect, navigating political conspiracies while grappling with the weight of leadership in a dystopian world.
Watson will continue airing on Sunday nights at 9 PM ET each week starting February 16, with no episodes airing on February 2 due to the Grammys and February 9 because of the Super Bowl.
Paradise airs on Tuesdays on Hulu.
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