Damon Lindelof’s take on “Watchmen,” Alan Moore, John Higgins and Dave Gibbons’ seminal comic book series from the 1980s, has been adored by critics and audiences alike.
That should mean that a second season of “Watchmen” is inevitable. However, “The Leftovers” and “Lost” co-creator has been very, very cagey about whether or not there will actually be any more episodes.
In fact, speaking to Deadline back in early October ahead of the release of the show, Lindelof said he had no plans to make a second season.
“We designed these nine episodes to be as self-contained as the original 12 issues [of the comics]. We wanted to feel like there was a sense of completeness, to resolve the essential mystery at hand,” he explained, before admitting, “Obviously, there is a potential promise for the further exploration of the world but like the seasons of ‘Leftovers’ that I did as opposed to ‘Lost,’ which was designed to have cliffhanger finales and a promise of future storytelling.”
“Does that mean that there isn’t going to be anymore ‘Watchmen?’ Not necessarily. Does that mean that I will be working on subsequent seasons of ‘Watchmen?’ I don’t know is the answer to that question.”
A month later, when Lindelof spoke to Metro.co.uk, he explained exactly why he has been so reserved about discussing a second season of “Watchmen.”
“I think there’s a fair amount of hubris in planning multiple seasons of a television show in this day and age. Every single idea we had is represented in these nine episodes, there was no time where we were like, ‘Let’s save that for later.’ We wanted the audience to have a complete experience of a story with a beginning middle and end.”
But it was at this point that Lindelof gave his first indication that he would be open to returning for a second season of “Watchmen,” which takes place 34 years after the events of the comics and Lindelof has described as a remix of the series. Although he suggested that, if he did return, it might take him a while to figure out what he would explore in future episodes.
“If people are like, ‘That was a pretty good meal, I’m good,’ then there doesn’t necessarily need to be anymore. But more importantly, I haven’t had any ideas of what subsequent series of ‘Watchmen’ would be. Until those ideas come, I’m content with just letting this one sit out there for a while.”
At the end of November, Lindelof provided a further update the chances of a second season of “Watchmen” to LAD Bible, insisting, “If the idea is right, and if there is a compelling reason to do it, then I’d consider it. I haven’t had that idea yet.”
However, it sounds as though, if he did decide to return for a second season, he’d want to discuss what would happen with the original creators of “Watchmen.” “The other thing about ‘Watchmen’ is that it doesn’t belong to me,” Lindelof added. “Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins created this thing, I had the opportunity to be its steward for a couple of years.”
But while Lindelof is still clearly unsure about its future, “Watchmen” director and executive producer Nicole Kassell is much more adamant that there will and should be a second season.
“As a fan who has seen this whole thing, I definitely think there is content for a season two, if not more,” she told Business Insider, before tantalizingly teasing, “I think it would be delicious and wonderful to see.”
