Netflix premiered the Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan-created mystery series “The Watcher” in 2022, starring Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts. The streamer then renewed the series for a second season, despite initially intending it as a limited series. Now, roughly four years later, the series is set to enter production this fall for its long-awaited second installment.
Variety confirmed on October 2 that production on season 2 of “The Watcher” would begin this fall in New York City and that the two lead actors would be returning to the series. Notably, the same is true for Margo Martindale and Isabel Gravitt.
“The Watcher” is loosely based on a true story about a family that moved into a new home and began receiving mysterious letters.
‘The Watcher’ Became A Huge Hit For Netflix
“Watcher” arrived on Netflix in October 2022. According to Variety, the series shot to the top of the streamer’s charts, debuting with an impressive 125 million minutes watched in its first four days. Netflix then renewed the show for its second season, which is now set to enter production in November.
However, despite the popularity of the show, critics weren’t as impressed. “The Watcher” currently sits at a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave the show a 36% positive rating.
In a positive review, one critic said, “With a good rhythm but dosing its information, Ryan Murphy once again generates bad vibes for viewers who watch this suspenseful story.” A critic for The Star noted, “The casting is the best decision Ryan Murphy made because they manage to salvage the script.”
Someone else wrote, “Like everything Murphy, The Watcher is at times excessive and extravagant… but the ensemble is committed to the story and responsible for balancing the series and making it palatable. It’s neither spicy nor bland.”
Ryan Murphy Previously Discussed the Hit Netflix Show
Murphy spoke to Entertainment Tonight in October 2022 while promoting “The Watcher.” Regarding making it, he said, “The interesting thing about the writing and the making of it is, you know, it’s many things. It’s a horror, it’s a thriller, it’s a story about a marriage, it’s a story about friendships, but it’s also something that I loved about it, which is the whodunnit aspect of it.”
Murphy continued, “And that to me was so interesting. When we got the rights to the [New York magazine] article, and even when we were shooting it, there would be things coming out on Reddit, where it’s like, ‘Here’s a new suspect, here’s another idea, here’s another thing.'” For context, the real-life story behind “The Watcher” was first told via a New York Magazine article from 2018.
Murphy then said, “So, we’d be putting – it was like working on something that was alive and adding in characters.” The “American Horror Story” creator then said, “We would get tips, like, ‘Here’s another suspect.’ I would get anonymous emails, ‘Don’t forget this suspect.’ And then I would fall into the wormhole of this person. And, of course, you know, some identities have been changed as one does.”
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Netflix Confirms Season 2 of Hit Mystery Series After Years-Long Wait