Fans were stoked when Netflix recently announced the production had started on Season 2 of “The Watcher,” four years after the first season dropped.
Now, there’s even more to celebrate, with the streamer officially confirming that Jennifer Coolidge will be returning to reprise her role from the first season.
A Huge Netflix Hit
Initially intended as a limited series, “The Watcher” is based on the creepy true story of a couple (played by Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts) who moved into a new home and began receiving mysterious letters.
Debuting in October 2022, “The Watcher” proved to be an out-of-the-box hit for Netflix.
Per Variety, the series skyrocketed to the top of the Netflix viewership list, with 125 million minutes viewed within the first four days of release.
Coolidge joins the previously announced returning cast, which includes Cannavale, Watts, Margo Martindale and Isabel Gravitt.
“Season one followed the Brannock family who moved into what was supposed to be their suburban dream home, and quickly became a living hell,” reads the Season 1 synopsis of the Ryan Murphy-produced series. “Ominous letters from someone calling themself ‘The Watcher’ were just the beginning as the neighborhood’s sinister secrets came spilling out.”
A Dream Role
As fans will certainly recall, Coolidge portrayed brash, opportunistic real estate agent Karen Calhoun.
Coolidge famously introduced her character in a promo designed as a real-estate sales video, with Coolidge hilariously improvising her dialogue for a promo so convincing that some of her friends wondered if she’d quit acting to sell houses.
“Ryan [Murphy] and I improvised that on a Saturday during the middle of a snowstorm,” Coolidge told Tudum of how that promo came together.
“We just went through the house and I just improvised my observations about it dressed as my character. When it aired, I got all these messages from friends asking me about the real estate career I was pursuing. Then I realized that they really thought this was my new side gig! I really just think it’s hilarious that they thought I was trying to split it down the middle with the acting and the real estate,” she added.
“You sort of dream of playing people like Karen Calhoun because it’s not that much fun to just play someone who’s extremely obedient and ordinary. I mean, she’s sort of a wild card. She’s definitely someone that you have no idea what’s going to come out of her. [She] knows what she wants and she’s extremely ambitious. I think when people get ambitious, something can just take over sometimes and things can really run amok,” she continued, revealing that Karen’s wardrobe was the key to really inhabiting the character.
“I really, really dug that they gave me a lot of input with the wardrobe, and I loved coming up with that stuff because there’s some people that really dress for success. Every move is sort of strategic with their clothing,” she said.
“I felt like that’s sort of who [Karen] is in a nutshell,” Coolidge added. “[She] can’t just go and have something very simple or low-key. She always has to come in and make some kind of statement without trying too hard.”
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Jennifer Coolidge Returning for New Season of Netflix Hit After Four-Year Absence