Mild SPOILERS for Watchmen season 1 ahead.
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Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof likes the idea of making the series an anthology in season 2. The Leftovers and Lost co-creator put the comic book-loving community on edge when he revealed his plans to develop a Watchmen TV show that is part continuation, part re-imagining of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' landmark '80s comic book story. Fortunately, the show proved to be as ambitious as its architect and used the Watchmen universe to explore a deep and powerful story about racial injustice in the U.S., all while building upon the lore of the original comics in unexpected, shocking, and often darkly funny ways.
Season 1 concluded after nine episodes with Sunday's "See How They Fly", an installment that felt more like a series finale than one for a single season, paying off every major plot thread introduced on the show. And while the series' ratings and critical success means HBO would love for Lindelof to make Watchmen season 2, the writer-producer is not at all committed to the idea just yet. What he is intrigued by, however, is the notion of the Watchmen TV universe continuing in less traditional ways, regardless of whether he's involved.
Speaking to THR, Lindelof said he's interested in Watchmen season 2 "the same way that I'm interested in anything that calls itself Watchmen. I do find it interesting, where the story could go next". He then went on to say he feels Watchmen "can accommodate a much larger space of storytelling" in the vein of anthology TV series like Fargo and True Detective. The showrunner went on to emphasize Watchmen season 2 "requires a new idea" before adding that, should the idea come from another creative, "I would welcome that, one hundred percent".
An anthology format could be the best way to go with Watchmen, in the event the show continues at all. Fargo has found ways to tell captivatingly different kinds of stories that focus on new characters, yet share a number of themes and ideas, throughout its three seasons so far. And while True Detective has seen mixed success by comparison (season 2 was viewed by many as a failure), it has thrived as an acting showcase for Oscar-winning stars like Mahershala Ali, when it's at its best. Presumably, though, Watchmen wouldn't follow the American Horror Story route of having the same core actors return for each new installment in the anthology, if only because continuity was an important aspect of season 1. Then again, in the weird world of Watchmen, one can never be too certain about anything.
Of course, there's a strong argument to be made against continuing Watchmen at all. Season 1 ended on a perfect concluding note, with a final shot that, in many ways, mirrored the last panel from Moore and Gibbons' original comic books (as Lindelof talked about with THR), yet at the same time remained true to Watchmen's ethos that nothing ever ends. To simply pick up right where things left off from there would risk undoing the emotional impact of season 1's stopping point, and for no obvious reason other than keeping the brand going. This could be avoided by taking the anthology approach, but even then it would (as Lindelof pointed out) demand a fresh idea to really justify moving forward.
In the meantime, Screen Rant will bring you more Watchmen-related news as it breaks online.
Source: THR