Josh Segarra Reveals Best Actor on the Set of ‘Best Medicine’ (Exclusive)

Best medicine has a talented all-star cast, but Wattson is in a class of his own.

Ahead of the Sunday, January 4 premiere of Fox’s Doc Martin adaptation, Josh Segarra reveals details about his scene-stealing four-legged costar Wattson, who plays the show’s mischievous pup, Copernicus. While the Abbott Elementary School former student, 39, has heard the old adage about not working with kids and kids, he tells PEOPLE it’s not one he subscribes to.

“The best actor on our set, as Copernicus,” Segarra says of Wattson. “I love this puppy. We had a lot of fun. We have our pig, Sprinkle, and we have our dog, Copernicus… And every time I work with one of the animals, I send pictures to my boys, and they really enjoy it.”

The father of three also shared that working with animals is always a fun time for him.

“These are days when we realize how surreal what we can do is,” he continues. “That’s my job. I’m hanging out in this precinct with my guy, Wattson, and we’re calling for action. He’s going to sprint and I’m going to run away. [after him]. And it’s this big high intensity scene, and they call cut. And you’re like, “Man, it’s crazy what we can do.” “So it’s always a fun day when you work with an animal, always.”

Besides Wattson, Best medicine has an undeniably stacked cast. The series stars Josh Charles as Dr. Martin Best, a big city surgeon who moves to the small town where he spends his summers with his aunt Sarah (played by Annie Potts) after experiencing a traumatic event in Boston.

The cast is rounded out by Abigail Spencer as teacher Louisa Gavin, Cree as Dr. Best’s receptionist, Elaine Denton, Segarra as Sheriff Mark Mylow, Didi Conn as City Councilwoman Geneva Potter, Clea Lewis as pharmacist Sally Mylow, Stephen Spinella and Jason Veasey as the married owners of The Salty Breeze, Greg Garrison and George Brady, Cindy De La Cruz as schoolteacher Jeannie, John DiMaggio as handyman Bert Large. and Carter Shimp as Bert’s son Al Large.

For Segarra, working on the Fox comedy with actors like Charles, 54, and Potts, 73, is a dream come true. He tells PEOPLE that he was a fan of both of his costars before joining the show, which makes sharing scenes with them all the more special.

He shares that joining the cast was a no-brainer, in part because “I would be working with Josh Charles, who I’ve been such a fan of for so long. I was a big Sports evening guys.”

“I have so much respect for him. Now he’s my buddy. We had a really good time building these characters,” he says.

Segarra adds that they often make each other laugh on set. “He makes me laugh, and I make him laugh. And that’s our goal. We’re always trying to make each other laugh,” he says.

“Honestly, this one was so easy to do with Josh, because I love the man. And he’s the captain of my ship right there, and I’ll follow him into battle any day,” he continues. “And so when you had Sheriff Mark, who loves Dr. Best, Sheriff Mark would follow Dr. Best into battle any day. So it’s a very easy thing to play.”

THE Animal Control The actor is also in love with Potts, who he says is “so cool and so warm” that he always feels comfortable with her as a scene partner.

“He’s a legend,” says Segarra. “So she was so warm and told me funny stories, and she’s one of those people who leads by example. She’s so happy to be there on set. I’m so honored to call her my girl.”

Never miss a story: subscribe to PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up to date with the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The two also became friends over being parents of boys. Segarra has three sons – Gus, 9, Hank, 5, and Bo, 2 – and Potts also has three: Clay, 44, James, 33, and Isaac, 30.

“Annie and I love swapping stories,” shares Segarra. “And we’ve also cried together a few times, good tears. There’s an episode where you’ll see us nostalgic for when the kids were young, and we both had a moment of reflection about our babies young…my boys have come and sat with me a few times, and I’ll be looking at Annie, and she’s just looking at me and my wife and the boys. And wow, man, I love her to pieces.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crosswords are here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Best medicine will air on Sunday, January 4 after football, before moving to its regular time on Tuesday, January 6 at 8:00 p.m. EST on Fox. Episodes will be available to stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.