HBO's 9-Part Fantasy Miniseries Is Already A Classic

While HBO’s Watchmen might be very different from the Alan Moore graphic novel that inspired the miniseries, this did not stand in the way of the series garnering substantial critical acclaim. Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel Watchmen was first released in 1986, and the seminal tome soon went on to redefine superhero stories in the coming decades.

Although director Zack Snyder adapted Watchmen as a movie in 2009, the helmer’s highly stylized, massively condensed retelling of Moore’s epic saga was met with mixed reviews. Although some critics commended Snyder’s ambition, many noted that the shorter runtime of the movie cut down the graphic novel’s complex story until it was almost unrecognizable.

Others pointed to the tone and style of Snyder’s version of Watchmen as discordant with the original text, reveling in brutality where the graphic novel was more explicitly critical of characters like Rorschach and The Comedian.

HBO's Watchmen Is A Modern Masterpiece

Given the mixed response to Snyder’s adaptation, it is understandable that some viewers were reticent when another 2019 adaptation of the graphic novel from creator Damon Lindelof was announced at HBO. Lindelof’s pre-release announcement that the show was a sequel, and more of a “Remix” than a direct continuation, raised even more eyebrows.

However, viewers need not have worried. 2019’s Watchmen was seen as a masterpiece by critics and hailed for its attempts to marry real-life history with the alternate history depicted in the graphic novel. Set some 34 years after the story of the novel ends, Watchmen focuses on a white supremacist militia’s attempts to threaten the Tulsa Police Department.

As this white supremacist group, who dub themselves the Seventh Kavalry, take up arms against the Tulsa Police Department, Regina King’s Angela Abar investigates the chief of police’s murder. Her investigation uncovers a sprawling conspiracy that blends together the fictional alternate history of Moore’s comic series with real-life events like the Tulsa Massacre.

How Watchmen Is Different From Other Superhero Shows

What makes Watchmen’s story different from most other superhero shows is the fact that the series doesn’t center on characters with superpowers. There are still important players like Adrian Veidt, Silk Spectre, and, thanks to one major twist, another of the original Watchmen, but they aren’t central to the show’s storyline.

Instead, the focus is primarily on the town of Tulsa and its long history of racial injustice. Even the fan favorite character Rorschach, whose perspective defined the original graphic novel, is largely relegated to history here. His biggest appearance is as a symbol of the Seventh Kavalry, since he is long dead before the story begins.

What Alan Moore Thinks Of The Watchmen Series

While Rorschach might have been horrified by the racist crimes committed in his name, Watchmen 2019’s use of his iconic image highlights the ways that symbols can be perverted and misinterpreted out of context over time. Ironically, the comic’s original creator, Moore, felt that the same fate had befallen his own creation when the show was released.

Moore told Variety in a 2022 interview that Lindelof reached out for his blessing with the show, but Moore rebuffed him and told him he didn’t want to be associated with 2019’s Watchmen. Since Lindelof was accused of racism and toxic mismanagement during the production of Lost in Maureen Ryan’s 2023 book, “Burn It Down” (per Variety) Moore may be glad of his choice.

Moore described Lindelof’s letter to him as “Neurotic ramblings,” and said that he was embarrassed by any association with the project. In Ryan’s book, actor Harold Perrineau stated that Lindelof and fellow Lost showrunner Carlton Cuse made numerous racist remarks, something that was confirmed to Ryan by various members of the Lost room.

This casts a dark shadow on Watchmen’s story as the series focuses on more explicit forms of racism, such as violent white supremacist militias, while depicting the police as largely heroic and trustworthy. In the years since the show ended, various high-profile accounts of police brutality have made this depiction dated.

Watchmen Will Age Well

Despite these issues, Watchmen’s story is likely to age well as a contribution to the ever-growing catalog of superhero TV shows. Much like The Boys brought a new level of ribald shock value to the superhero TV show, Watchmen proved that a superhero show can succeed without centering on the superheroes themselves.

This was a daring creative decision, and one for which the series ought to be commended. Watchmen also drew a lot of mainstream attention to the real-life Tulsa massacre, a historic event that had not been well documented in mainstream pop culture prior to the sequel’s release on HBO.

Although Moore may have been well advised to distance himself from the controversial Lindelof, Watchmen’s decision to divorce its main storyline from superheroes themselves was an interesting one that paid off for the series. The show has already gone on to influence numerous subsequent superhero series, and Watchmen remains a favorite of many critics.

Source: Variety