In what could likely be the final nail in the coffin of HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ when recently asked about returning for a second season, showrunner of the first season Damon Lindelof said he would “probably not” be back. While HBO’s programming executive Casey Bloys previously shared that they likely wouldn’t create a second season without Lindelof’s involvement, the showrunner does offer hope for fans as to how it can continue without him.
The question was poised to the creator by Variety at the Writers Guild Awards last Saturday. While the focus of the interview concerned the ending of ‘The Good Place,’ it, of course, turned to his return to ‘Watchmen.’
“I understand that the culture writ large wants a firm answer. Is there going to be more, isn’t there going to be more. And unfortunately, the answer is, ‘probably not.’ I’ve been pretty consistent about that since we premiered the show at Comic-Con.”
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Now, that isn’t to say we’ll never get another outing in the ‘Watchmen’ universe by HBO. Lindelof’s idea makes it quite feasible to return if HBO is willing to work with another showrunner:
“When I first pitched the show to HBO, where I looked at it as, in the model of ‘Fargo’ and ‘True Detective,’ I think there’s a very high likelihood that there will be more ‘Watchmen.’ I think the likelihood of me being involved as showrunner starts to drop off. I would love to see more, and I think I’d love to see television shows like ‘True Detective’ or ‘Fargo’ where other visionaries can come in and take their run at it. I didn’t create ‘Watchmen,’ so I think it’s hypocritical for me to say I’m the only one who can do it. But I also want to leave space for, if three or four or five years from now, I have that ‘eureka’ moment that we could do another one.”
While the first season of ‘Watchmen’ gave us a complete story, there is room for more in this world. Hopefully, HBO will only go this route if another showrunner can deliver a compelling story that would also be a stand-alone piece.
Do you hope that ‘Watchmen’ ends up returning for a second season? Is Damon Lindelof needed for a sequel, or would the network be able to tap another showrunner? Share your thoughts in the comments below!