UPDATE: Damon Lindelofhas told USA Todaythat he has no interest in a second season and has told the story he wanted to tell, but has “given my blessing” to HBO if they want to move on without him. It seems unlikely that HBO will do so, which means a Season 2 ofWatchmenprobably won’t be happening. Original story below.
Will there be moreWatchmenon HBO? When the highly anticipated series premiered last fall, there was little doubt it was a long-running series and that showrunnerDamon Lindelofwould continue to expand his world in further seasons, just as he did withLostandThe Leftovers. But when theWatchmenfinale aired and (almost) all the season’s questions were answered, Lindelof said in post-mortem interviews that he was actually leaning towardsnotcontinuing the show. Season 1 was created as a one-and-done deal, and Lindelof and his writers put every great idea they had into those nine episodes.
Now, a few weeks after the season ended, does HBO feel differently? HBO President of ProgrammingCasey Bloystold Deadline that the fate ofWatchmenSeason 2 is still in the hands of Lindelof:
“It is really up to Damon at this point, he is thinking about what he wants to do. Truly, I don’t know at this point whether it is a returning drama series or a limited series. I think one of the things Damon did so brilliantly was, he opened up this entire world. So maybe there is another version with a whole new set of characters. I don’t know because Damon doesn’t know, and I’m talking his lead on this.”
Bloys added that he very much wants to remain in the Damon Lindelof business, whether that meansWatchmenSeason 2 or something completely different:
“If it’s a season two — great, if it’s a new take on the world — great, if it’s something else complexly, I’m just going take his lead.”
Before the finale aired, Lindelof explained his thinking by saying what madeWatchmenspecial (and boy was it special) was that it was a fresh vision:
“I’m not entirely sure that I should do another season, because kind of what keeps it fresh is sort of a new vision. If I had the right idea, I’d certainly be open to it. But I haven’t had that idea yet.”
Lindelof has said he’s open to another storyteller coming in with a new take onWatchmenSeason 2, whether that involves the characters he set up in Season 1 like Angela Abar (Regina King) and Laurie Blake (Jean Smart), or focusing on new characters in a new setting.
Whatever the case, it certainly sounds like HBO has put the ball in Lindelof’s court, and I imagine they’re going to give him the time he needs to think on whether he wants to come back. Which is smart, because that first season was a brilliant twist on the source material that took a lot of time and effort from Lindelof and his writers. So coming back would be a similarly herculean task.
Personally, I’m fine either way. IfWatchmenSeason 2 is announced, I’ll trust in Lindelof that it’s coming back with a story worth telling. If it never happens, that first season still exists as a magnificent close-ended story.
