Watchmen is a ratings hit, but will we get a season 2?

If you ask me, there are two shows putting out new episodes right now that are really killing the game. First, over on Disney+, The Mandalorian has been consistently entertaining in a straight-forward, old school kind of way, serving up plenty of treats for Star Wars fans but telling a story that’s fun to watch for anyone. Then there’s Watchmen on HBO, which asks more of its audience than The Manalorian — there are extended flashbacks, plentiful references to Alan Moore’s original comic book and challenging themes — but is well worth it if you take the time.

I don’t know the exact numbers, but it looks like The Mandalorian is a monster hit. If the millions of Baby Yoda memes didn’t clue you in on that, the fact that Disney+ is getting one million new subscribers a day might. But I’ve been afraid that Watchmen’s higher barrier to entry might mean that people wouldn’t be tuning in. Happily, Variety reports that the show is getting around 7.1 million viewers per episode, factoring in people who watch linearly and through services like HBO Go and Max.

Those are solid numbers, and it looks like they may be getting better. The show’s most recent episode — “An Almost Religious Awe” — had the highest numbers since the premiere, and considering how the show looks to be ramping up to something big, I wouldn’t be surprised if those keep going up. And then the whole thing will be available to binge over the holiday break, hopefully picking up even more fans. Personally, I’m definitely looking forward to watching the whole thing once it’s in the can. Watchmen definitely seems like the kind of show that will benefit from repeat viewings.

Granted, these numbers probably don’t put Watchmen in the same league as The Mandalorian, and it’s not approaching the hey day of Game of Thrones. Then again, little does. They’re good enough to get a second season, though, and after how good the first season has been I would definitely welcome another round.

Will we get one, though? Showrunner Damon Lindelof previously made it sound like things were up in the air. “[Watchmen] was designed to be a complete story much in the vein of shows like Fargo or True Detective, with an understanding that there are many Watchmen stories to tell, but there’s not a big cliffhanger in the final episode,” he said. “I think the majority of the mysteries — at least the ones that are central to the stories that we tell — are resolved by the end of the ninth episode.”

"If the idea is right, and if there is a compelling reason to do it, then I’d consider [a second season]. I haven’t had that idea yet. The other thing about Watchmen is that it doesn’t belong to me. Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and John Higgins created this thing. I had the opportunity to be its steward for a couple of years. There is going to be more Watchmen, independently of whether I do it. It should be done by someone who really deeply cares about it and has a reason to."

Interesting. So there’s going to be more Watchmen, but it may or may not be from Lindelof? Will it be on HBO? It’s unclear, but unless the final two episodes of this season seriously disappoint, I think there will be plenty of appetite for more.

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h/t LadBible