Watson series premiere: The Randall Park – Moriarty surprise

If there was one thing that surprised us overall about the Watson series premiere over at CBS, it has to come via casting. We had a feeling that we would be meeting Moriarty at some point, but to see him so soon, and also have him played by Randall Park?

Given that Park is known mostly as a comedic actor for Fresh Off the Boat and other roles, it was certainly a surprise to see him within this context. Not only that, but it was equally so to see him turn up so soon! Yet, our general sentiment now is that bringing Moriarty around now allows for more layers between him and Watson, and for this story to play out over time.

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So how did this casting come about in the first place? In a new interview with TV Insider, show executive producer Craig Sweeny did his best to set that up:

I had a preexisting relationship with Randall. Not deep, but enough that I had his number and he had read the script and I texted him and said, “Why don’t you play Moriarty?” And he instantly was interested. It just kind of happened very quickly. I like the idea of taking — he’s more or less the friendliest man in the world. So I like to ask the question, what kind of sinister thing might lie beneath that, that sort of veneer of pleasantness? How do you make Randall Park evil? It’s a fun problem as writer.

Sweeny worked previously on another Sherlock series in Elementary, and it is certainly our hope that we get to see Park a whole lot more here than we did with Natalie Dormer’s version on that show. She had a few notable appearances and yet, gradually disappeared more and more as that series went on.

Related – Be sure to get some more thoughts now on Watson and what more is ahead

What did you think about the Moriarty casting on the Watson series premiere?

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