BY SARA TERPAK
A&E Asst. Editor
On Oct. 20, the new series “Watchmen” premiered on HBO. The show is based on a comic book series by British writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. According to HBO, 1.5 million people watched the premiere across all their available platforms.
From the official HBO Watchmen website: “Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own.”
“I’m really intrigued by this new series because I’m into Marvel and DC, and I think I would enjoy this show a lot,” said senior Cassidy Baldauf.
In the original story, America won the Vietnam War and turned that country into a state. President John F. Kennedy is still assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, but Richard Nixon remained president until 1988 after successfully abolishing term limits.
HBO’s version of Watchmen does take from the original comics, but director Damon Lindelof added some ideas and twists into the new series. Instead of Richard Nixon in office, actor Robert Redford is president.
“I read the comic book and saw the movie that came out based on that book, so I would definitely want to watch the show,” said junior Will Bordiuk.
The main plot is set in Tulsa, Okla., where it’s hard to tell the bad guys from the good guys because police also wear masks. Some of the original characters have made the leap 30 years and some are brand-new. The internet doesn’t exist in this version of 2019 – newspapers and radio are the main means of mass communication.
“We treated the original 12 issues as canon, as an Old Testament,” Lindelof said. “The Old Testament has given us some clues as to what direction to head in but we also want to land in a place that’s a direct commentary on our time.”
With HBO’s Watchmen set in 2019, the new series dives into many of today’s social and political tensions. The original comic book series was set in the Cold War Era and hit on many of the social and political issues during those times.
“It had to be bold and it had to take risks and it had to be surprising and it had to be a little bit unsafe,” Lindelof said. “And so if we were feeling unsafe writing it, that was sort of an essential emotional component of the storytelling.”
The show, because of its attention to political and social issues in the country, has received plenty of backlash from some viewers. On Rotten Tomatoes, “Watchmen” received a score of 98% from critics, but a score of 43% from the audience.
HBO has been looking for their next big hit, since Game of Thrones ended earlier this year, leaving many fans unhappy with the production company. They have had some success since Game of Thrones ended though.
Their original mini-series, “Chernobyl,” which aired this summer, received an 95% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and an even better 98% rating from the audience. Some of HBO’s other current hit shows include “Succession,” “Big Little Lies” and “Westworld.”
The first season of “Watchmen” will include nine total episodes, one airing every Sunday.
“Since I don’t have HBO and I use other streaming services, I’m not entirely sure if I will get to watch it,” said Baldauf. “Hopefully one day I will.”
