‘Watchmen’: 5 Things to Know About the Emmy-Nominated HBO Series

Credit: Sky Atlantic/Kobal/Shutterstock

'Watchmen': 5 Things to Know About the Emmy-Nominated HBO Series

Watchmen explores an alternate reality of the United States where actor Robert Redford has been president for 28 years, masked vigilantes have been banned and the Internet doesn't exist. The HBO limited series is set three decades after the events from the 1986 graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore. The story focuses on new character Angela Abar (Regina King), a Tulsa, Oklahoma, police detective with the secret superhero identity of Sister Night. Characters from the original story also make an appearance or are mentioned, including Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons). The series has received critical acclaim with 26 nominations at the 2020 Emmy Awards, including Limited Series. Creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof told Entertainment Weekly in September 2019 that he considered the show a "remix" of the original story. [jwplayer ZdS5IVT8-l3ahXupL] "Look, [the new series] certainly fits into the 'sequel' box, and definitely doesn’t fit into the 'reboot' box," the Leftovers creator, 47, explained at the time. "We treat the original 12 issues as canon. They all happened. We haven’t done any revisionist history, but we can maneuver in between the cracks and crevices and find new stories there. We wanted to make sure our first episode felt like the beginning of a new story rather than a continuation of an old story. That’s what I think a sequel is — the continuation of an old story." Lindelof also praised the work of King, 49 — whom he previously worked with on The Leftovers — and Irons, 71. "I can’t say enough amazing things about Regina King," he said. "The opportunity to make her the star of the show is one of the reasons this was worth doing. It’s not that Regina hasn’t had opportunities to show the world what an incredible actor she is, but to be at the center of the show is a pretty big deal. She’s able to surprise me constantly with her choices as a performer even though I worked with her on The Leftovers for a season and I’ve seen everything she’s ever done going back to 227 and Southland. Yet she’s still able to make choices that make me go, 'What?'" The producer added, "I also want to say that I’m constantly delighted — and I’m not a person that experiences the emotion of delight in my life — by what Jeremy Irons is doing in this show. I’ve not only been a fan of his for decades, but I’m just delighted by the choices he’s making." Scroll down for five things to know about Watchmen. [podcast_block]

Credit: Sky Atlantic/Kobal/Shutterstock

'Watchmen': 5 Things to Know About the Emmy-Nominated HBO Series

Watchmen explores an alternate reality of the United States where actor Robert Redford has been president for 28 years, masked vigilantes have been banned and the Internet doesn't exist. The HBO limited series is set three decades after the events from the 1986 graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore. The story focuses on new character Angela Abar (Regina King), a Tulsa, Oklahoma, police detective with the secret superhero identity of Sister Night. Characters from the original story also make an appearance or are mentioned, including Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons). The series has received critical acclaim with 26 nominations at the 2020 Emmy Awards, including Limited Series. Creator and showrunner Damon Lindelof told Entertainment Weekly in September 2019 that he considered the show a "remix" of the original story. [jwplayer ZdS5IVT8-l3ahXupL] "Look, [the new series] certainly fits into the 'sequel' box, and definitely doesn’t fit into the 'reboot' box," the Leftovers creator, 47, explained at the time. "We treat the original 12 issues as canon. They all happened. We haven’t done any revisionist history, but we can maneuver in between the cracks and crevices and find new stories there. We wanted to make sure our first episode felt like the beginning of a new story rather than a continuation of an old story. That’s what I think a sequel is — the continuation of an old story." Lindelof also praised the work of King, 49 — whom he previously worked with on The Leftovers — and Irons, 71. "I can’t say enough amazing things about Regina King," he said. "The opportunity to make her the star of the show is one of the reasons this was worth doing. It’s not that Regina hasn’t had opportunities to show the world what an incredible actor she is, but to be at the center of the show is a pretty big deal. She’s able to surprise me constantly with her choices as a performer even though I worked with her on The Leftovers for a season and I’ve seen everything she’s ever done going back to 227 and Southland. Yet she’s still able to make choices that make me go, 'What?'" The producer added, "I also want to say that I’m constantly delighted — and I’m not a person that experiences the emotion of delight in my life — by what Jeremy Irons is doing in this show. I’ve not only been a fan of his for decades, but I’m just delighted by the choices he’s making." Scroll down for five things to know about Watchmen. [podcast_block]

Credit: Sky Atlantic/Kobal/Shutterstock

It's Based on a Graphic Novel.

The 12-issue comic series — which debuted in 1986 — was written by Moore and illustrated by artist Dave Gibbons. The story was later adapted into the 2009 film of the same name starring Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Credit: Sky Atlantic/Kobal/Shutterstock

The Show Is Set During a Contemporary Alternate History.

Watchmen reimagines the future of the United States if the country won the Vietnam war, the Watergate scandal wasn't exposed and there are no smartphones or Internet. "We’re living in a world where fossil fuels have been eliminated as a power source," Lindelof told Entertainment Weekly in September 2019. "All the cars are zero emissions and run on electricity or fuel cells — largely thanks to the innovations of Dr. Manhattan decades earlier."

Credit: Famous/ACE PICTURES/INSTARimages.com

Lindelof Won't Be Returning for a Possible Second Season.

The screenwriter told Variety in February that he thinks there's "a very high likelihood" Watchmen will return for a second season, but he can't see himself being a part of it. “I understand that the culture writ large wants a firm answer,” he said at the time. “Is there going to be more, isn’t there going to be more. And unfortunately, the answer is, ‘probably not.’ I’ve been pretty consistent about that since we premiered the show at Comic-Con.”

Credit: Sky Atlantic/Kobal/Shutterstock

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Was a Huge Influence on the Show.

In Watchmen's alternate reality, a lifetime of reparations have been paid to the victims of slavery and their descendants. However, the white supremacist group Seventh Kalvary is fighting back. Lindelof told NBC News in October 2019 that he thought more people should be exposed to the history of the Tulsa race riots. “I was 43 or 44, and I wondered how could it be that I’ve never heard about this,” Lindelof said. “Then I read more, and I said Tulsa was the right place to set the show.”

Credit: Sky Atlantic/Kobal/Shutterstock

Lindelof Broke His Rule of Not Working With the Same Actors Twice for King.

The filmmaker revealed during New York's Comic-Con in October 2019 that he has a rule about not working with the same actor on two different projects. Lindeloff admitted it was "a dumb rule,” adding that he wanted to work with King on Watchmen despite previously working together on The Leftovers.