Ever since the series wrapped up its acclaim run late last year, fans have been clamoring to know whether or not HBO is going to continue “Watchmen” for another season. And over the past year, the comments have been fairly similar, with creator Damon Lindelof saying that he isn’t interested while the network is seemingly pushing for more. And after last night’s massive Emmy wins, it further cements the idea that “Watchmen” isn’t going to return to TV. At least, not anytime soon.
At last night’s virtual ceremony, “Watchmen” took home some major awards, including the big Best Limited Series trophy. And considering it was put in the “limited series” categories and not “drama series,” it would stand to reason that HBO understands there won’t be another season. Speaking after the big wins, Lindelof confirmed that he doesn’t think the show should return because of that distinction between “limited” and an ongoing series.
“It would feel like a huge betrayal of winning limited series to come back and say ‘it was only a limited series,’” he said (via Deadline). “‘Watchmen’ is something I’ve loved since I was 13 years old. Someone else created it, and this was my run on it. I’ve invited any other artist who wants to take the baton.”
Of course, HBO isn’t shy about turning limited series into regular ongoing shows. The network famously did that recently with “Big Little Lies,” which won a bunch of limited series Emmys and then would go on to come back for a second season. But HBO boss Casey Bloys doesn’t think that will be the case for “Watchmen.” Though, let’s be real, he does leave the door open for more.
Bloys added, “There are no plans to do anything. It’s hard to imagine doing it without Damon. It seems unlikely, he told a pretty complete story. Never say never but there are no plans for another installment.”
It’s obvious why HBO would want another season of “Watchmen,” as the show was a runaway success both with fans and critics, seemingly doing the impossible by creating a beloved sequel to a graphic novel that is often discussed as the very best the medium has to offer. Lindelof understands that lightning likely won’t strike twice and he needs to get out before it gets bad (see his time on “Lost”). But with the political climate as it is currently, “Watchmen” has only become more timely as the months go by. It would be awfully tempting for someone to come along and try to replicate the success.
