Watchmen: The TV Series

I know this is super late, but I wanted to give a few thoughts on the new Watchmen HBO show before it completely fades from memory. You may have noticed put this show as my honorable mentions for my favorite TV show of the year when I actually posted my best of 2019. There is a reason for that. This show is pretty good.

I'll get into more details, but there are two things that are really shocking about this show. First off, it's a show by Damon Lindelof. The ups and downs of the TV Show Lost still sit with me and my dissatisfaction with his work has stuck with me for a while. Everything from the aesthetics of the show (scenery, costumes, title cards) to the writing of the show were top notch.

The other thing that surprised me about this show is that it starts by showing the Tulsa Massacre and that incident is the basis for the entire show. They do not shy away from it. Also, the fact that this show focused on black people and the main character is black was something I was truly surprised by. Is the focus on how bad racism is too on the nose at time, yes? However, I think it shows the purpose of what drives some of the characters and gets them to where they are.

Also, the fact that this is set in Oklahoma is I think something new for this kind of genre show. Typically you are in the larger metropolitan areas, so seeing this change of scenery was refereshing. Now I've never been to Oklahoma, so I can't speak to how authentic it actually is, but that was good enough for me.

Let's not go any further without mentioning how fantastic Regina King is as Angela Abar, aka Sister Night . If nothing else, I have loved watching her rise in Hollywood and I hope it continues. She elevates this show. She has a charisma that draws you to her every time she is on the screen. Jeremy Irons is also really good, as a very old Ozymandias. Finally, Tim Blake Nelson as Wade Tillman, aka  "Looking Glass" was also great.

I've mentioned before how I like when a series doesn't overstay it's welcome with a bloated episode count (looking at you CW shows), so I'm glad this show was only eight episodes. It gave them time to weave an intricate story that was respectful to the Watchmen universe. This takes after the comic book, not the movie, which is a good choice. The movie tried to be more realistic and lose some of the more comic booky nature. This show embraces that ridiculousness while also trying to do some things that are profound. The use of Dr. Manhattan is great, as well as seeing an older Silk Spectre having an impact.

Really, everything about this show is really good. Our villains are shades of grey (for the most part) and each episode gets more compelling until you get to the cliffhanger of an ending. As great as this show is, I really hope they don't do any more and let this stand on it's own. I think it's better that way. If you haven't watched this show already, make sure that you go and see it.