Watchmen (2019)

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Season 1
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Oct 20, 2019
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 504 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 279 out of 504
  2. Mixed: 40 out of 504
  3. Negative: 185 out of 504

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User Reviews

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  1. nurall
    Nov 14, 2019
    2
    as a fan of the movie and graphic novel i was looking forward to this show. huge disappointing mess and i don't mean the squid.
  2. andrewm6
    Oct 20, 2019
    2
    Hamfisted woke garbage that wine aunts and affluent liberals will pleasure themselves to
  3. weyivi
    Oct 20, 2019
    2
    Watchmen (2019) is very well shot, well acted, and well scored. Thematically, it's nothing like the original graphic novel released in 1986. This show uses the backdrop of Watchmen in order to push its own themes of race relations in the American south in an alternate history with some continuity from the graphic novel. I would be weary of any television show or film that pushes divisiveWatchmen (2019) is very well shot, well acted, and well scored. Thematically, it's nothing like the original graphic novel released in 1986. This show uses the backdrop of Watchmen in order to push its own themes of race relations in the American south in an alternate history with some continuity from the graphic novel. I would be weary of any television show or film that pushes divisive and politically charged themes in order to preach to the viewer. Time and time again, television and film in our current political climate has become about how to best use the medium as a vehicle in order to further political messages. Many prominent franchises of super hero films, science fiction television shows, and fantasy films have been co-opted to further socio-political goals. And it's very unfortunate that Watchmen has been compromised in the same manner. If you the viewer don't want to be painfully proselytized to then I would avoid Watchmen. It's another "woke" television show concerned more with politics than world building.… Expand
  4. JonnyDean
    Oct 30, 2019
    2
    Watchmen was unwatchable. There are some very good actors, but they are stuck/wasted in some sort of 80's telemovie.
  5. 100LL
    Dec 21, 2019
    2
    Great production quality i will say that. I loved the comic and the movie thats why i tuned in. Thats also why i wont be returning. Turning rorshack into a white supremacist? I dont mind politics in my entertainment when its in world politics. I HATE virtue signaling in my entertainment. If you like SJW ram rod virtue signaling you will love this. Thats is the only thing it offers.
  6. voodoo-goose
    Apr 23, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I give this series 2 points for good acting, good story-telling and good tension. Also, it gets the two points: one for each of the original watchmen in the story. Sure, Silk Spectre is there, but she isn't Silk Spectre anymore anyway - she's joined the government (working for the enemy, as far as original Watchmen is concerned).

    First, the good. It really is good acting, it's quite nicely paced and the tension doesn't really let up.

    Now, the bad. It's got absolutely nothing in common with the original Watchmen, which if you read (or saw the movie) was very anti-government, anti-liberal and very pro-individual-rights. In fact, the very first page of original Watchmen says this: "Now the whole world stands on the brink, staring down into the bloody hell, all those liberals and intellectuals and smooth-talkers... ... and all of a sudden nobody can think of anything to say."

    This series is the exact opposite of that, the exact opposite of what the Watchmen were, and what they wanted to do. The series has none of the conflict or the profound paradox of the original Watchmen. The deep questions about morality and politics and war and love that was in the original Watchmen are missing from this series. All of that has been replaced by an almost endless litany of preaching; the message of "white men bad, everyone else good" is reinforced in every episode. All the women are strong or black or both, all the men are neutered, even if they're black.

    Speaking of neutering, the two remaining watchmen in this series, Ozymandias and Dr Manhatten, have been reduced in apparent power and intelligence (can't have the legends overshadow the new characters, I expect).

    Ozymandias, for example, is not the almost-prescient thinker and strategist from the original Watchmen. He doesn't have any of his reputed fighting skills (bar one scene) and is easily taken down with a blow to the back of the head **after being told he was being arrested**. The original Ozymandias would not, after being told he was going to be arrested, have let one of the two officers calmly walk around him and bop him on the head.

    Dr Manhatten gets an even worse butchering of his character. For absolutely no reason at all, he leaves Mars, comes to earth and tells a woman he has never met that he is in love with her. At the end, when he knows that they are about to capture and kill him, he simply stands for a few seconds in front of their trap while it energises to capture him. Everything he does is out of character for Dr Manhatten. There is no conflict in him; in the original Watchmen we get the sense of an almost godlike being, someone capable of seeing through time, dealing with internal conflict as he loses his humanity and tries to hang on to his morality. The Dr Manhatten of this series is almost completely human since arriving from Mars, and only cares about the falling in love bits of the plot.

    They really should have called this series something else; it is not done in the dystopian atmosphere of Watchmen. It has an altogether different feel to it. The society feels more like George Orwell's 1984, where the arrested have no right to a trial; where, in a US state, the arrested can be judged and executed on the spot by the arresting officer; where the police wear masks; where the guns have been confiscated from the population ... and this series tries its best convince the viewer that all of this **is a good thing**.

    I would say watch this if you like superficial storylines, plot holes you could drive a truck through, never-ending politicisation ... and good acting. Do not watch this if you were expecting the complex and intricate world of the original Watchmen to be continued. This series does not do that.    … Expand
  7. Gorba
    Oct 24, 2019
    1
    If you want to watch a show that's has the same spirit of WATCHMEN with a flair that matches the film, I highly recommend The Boys on Amazon. It has an amazing out-of-left-field-didn't-see-that-coming cliffhanger season finale.
  8. mintlo
    Dec 30, 2019
    1
    What a pile of bizarre, foul **** Don't waste your time. Run. Run away....blah blah blah blah
  9. Voodoo123
    Feb 8, 2020
    1
    While there are certainly some interesting choices in the setting characters and drama, Watchmen 2019 chose the path of the original comic book material in name only and serves as an 'imagined sequel'. It noticeably lacks the wonderful prose of Alan Moore, and the visual stylistic tones of the (still excellent) Zack Snyder movie. Simply put this reads as just another average action/scifi.While there are certainly some interesting choices in the setting characters and drama, Watchmen 2019 chose the path of the original comic book material in name only and serves as an 'imagined sequel'. It noticeably lacks the wonderful prose of Alan Moore, and the visual stylistic tones of the (still excellent) Zack Snyder movie. Simply put this reads as just another average action/scifi. If it went by a different name I would score higher. The original graphic novel and movie still hold up. This is simply a byproduct of that initial success.… Expand
  10. Jchase
    Oct 24, 2019
    1
    I'm pretty disappointed about this show, had such high hopes going in. Just feel like this isn't watchmen at all but some weird spinoff with no depth.
  11. Bubber
    Dec 26, 2019
    1
    Just No, this is another example of what happens when diversity and progressive values become more important than creating good entertainment. Besides the name it's got nothing to do with the original Watchmen comic. I hope this series is cancelled so we never have to talk about it again.
  12. Xion
    Nov 7, 2019
    0
    This show is bad. The actors are bad. The director and writers are bad and HBO should feel suicidal for greenlighting something that rapes the source material so violently and unrepentantly. Social justice is boring and passé. It's a form of virtue-signaling self-masturbation for actors and film crews and is no substitute for good writing or actual effort; yet the clowns heading this showThis show is bad. The actors are bad. The director and writers are bad and HBO should feel suicidal for greenlighting something that rapes the source material so violently and unrepentantly. Social justice is boring and passé. It's a form of virtue-signaling self-masturbation for actors and film crews and is no substitute for good writing or actual effort; yet the clowns heading this show put it front and center in every episode. Only the most untalented hacks in the increasingly destitute film and television "business" would fall on it as a last resort to find a lowest-common denominator audience in the ironically "woke" sheep known as "leftists". Every drool-dispensing self-masturbatory charlatan even remotely involved with this project deserves to hear the phrase: "you'll never work in Hollywood again" after this trainwreck shoots through its inevitable cancellation.… Expand
  13. T-Rein
    Dec 21, 2019
    0
    Just another in a growing list of shows written by political activist telling you that if you're a straight white man you're the devil. .. .. Boo
  14. AthanasiosT
    Oct 24, 2019
    0
    I've read the comic, saw the movie and expected something in the general direction of those two. Unfortunately, the TV show is just a well directed anti-racist drama, in an alternative 2019, with a predictable and overplayed scenario. Not interesting at all, it won't keep me past the first episode.
  15. fredjesus
    Dec 8, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. muito fraca, totalmente desconexa aos HQs originais, faltou MUITA criatividade em contruir um vilão fora uma protagonista sem QUALQUER empatia, tirando o apelo a nostalgia pelos personagens originais a serie é uma porcaria com senas muito fracas de ação enredo cansativo e previsível que em nenhum momento nos faz temer pela detetive que basicamente é uma heroína feminista negra intocável… Expand
  16. Truejustice
    Oct 20, 2019
    0
    ugh... this is just another propaganda tv show... they turned watchmen into another nonsensual story about genders and racism that has nothing to do with an original comics. Thanks i will pass the rest. Just another piece that trys to bait reviewers and drive wedge into the society... BIG NO
  17. jaredvf
    Oct 20, 2019
    0
    Bizarre. Boring. Pointless. Trash. I wanted to like this show, but it was horrible.
  18. Leonando_souza
    Oct 20, 2019
    0
    They absolutely destroyed all the magic behind the Watchmen universe, introducing a lot of shallow politics discussions above the TV Show. Happily is just one time show.
  19. SuperMax156
    Nov 6, 2019
    0
    Yeah, I don't think Hollywood knows how to make movies anymore, its just a big propaganda shop for the retarded socialism and braindead woke nazis. Its a disgrace to the watchmen series GET WOKE GO BROKE
  20. arnolddanko
    Oct 20, 2019
    0
    Did they really have to choose the Watchmen franchise to make just another modern propaganda piece? This show has nothing to do with the original comic or movie. The original was not about race or gender, it was about superheroes/role models being corrupt with their "sainthood" being just a marketing illusion. It was a stylish take on the "who watches the watchers" question. This show,Did they really have to choose the Watchmen franchise to make just another modern propaganda piece? This show has nothing to do with the original comic or movie. The original was not about race or gender, it was about superheroes/role models being corrupt with their "sainthood" being just a marketing illusion. It was a stylish take on the "who watches the watchers" question. This show, however, is modern politics and propaganda lightly sprinkled with "iconic superhero lore" for better sales.… Expand
  21. insickness
    Oct 27, 2019
    0
    Show is boring and trite. They tried to turn a great comic into woke left fantasy.
  22. viroodiem
    Nov 10, 2019
    0
    Commits the cardinal sin of a TV show. Being boring and unwatchable. The shows only saving grace is its soundtrack. Wont make it to season 2 with lukewarm reception and over priced budget.
  23. dtg12
    Nov 5, 2019
    0
    I'm giving a 1, because of 2 reasons:
    1. It has NOTHING to do with Watchmen. It's baiting. This is a show about cops chasing white supremacists in country settings. Shameful false advertising to tie it to Watchmen comic book. If you wanna build a following, do it with good writing and good acting, creators.
    2. The plot is outrageous. Literally - it's manufactured to outrage and apply to    I'm giving a 1, because of 2 reasons:
    1. It has NOTHING to do with Watchmen. It's baiting. This is a show about cops chasing white supremacists in country settings. Shameful false advertising to tie it to Watchmen comic book. If you wanna build a following, do it with good writing and good acting, creators.
    2. The plot is outrageous. Literally - it's manufactured to outrage and apply to our lowest instincts. It creates unnatural, improbable world of extremely racist people to invoke some moral lessons about real (i.e. completely different, non-black-and-white) world.
    Handmaiden's tale is the same thing for women's dystopia.
    Camp of the Saints is the same thing for actual racists dystopia.

    All these stories are bad storytelling and frankly little different from populist demagogy.    … Expand
  24. WalterJohsnon
    Oct 20, 2019
    0
    This series is Watchman in name only. It has none of the complex themes about morality and justice and the complex characters and morally complex characters that made Alan Moore's story arguably the greatest graphic novel of all time.

    The Series ditches the themes of the graphic novel, and its instead about of "woke" propaganda that we've seen already countless times. Whereas the    This series is Watchman in name only. It has none of the complex themes about morality and justice and the complex characters and morally complex characters that made Alan Moore's story arguably the greatest graphic novel of all time.

    The Series ditches the themes of the graphic novel, and its instead about of "woke" propaganda that we've seen already countless times. Whereas the comic didn't have the typical Heroes and Villains of a normal story, the main villains of the Comic are the Evil White Supremacist Group called the Calvary. The Calvary go around with masks reminiscent of the comic's character Rorschach. I found this to be very frustrating and annoying, because although he was very conservative, Rorschach was not racist or a White Supremacist, and yet they make it seem like he is in this series.

    Of course the Reviewers in the Media will love the "Woke" Globo-Homo themes over the themes that made the original Graphic Novel so Unique.    … Expand
  25. Gabe062490
    May 4, 2020
    0
    There's nothing about this show that is remotely close to it being a "comic book". They adapted "Watchmen" just so they could use names, places, and events from Alan Moore's brilliantly designed comic book universe.

    I RARELY write negative reviews about anything I dislike but Damon Lindelof's "Watchmen" is the hottest piece of garbage I have ever seen. HBO's "Watchmen" is an    There's nothing about this show that is remotely close to it being a "comic book". They adapted "Watchmen" just so they could use names, places, and events from Alan Moore's brilliantly designed comic book universe.

    I RARELY write negative reviews about anything I dislike but Damon Lindelof's "Watchmen" is the hottest piece of garbage I have ever seen.

    HBO's "Watchmen" is an injustice to the original comic book and Zack Snyder's adaptation.

    I hope this show gets canceled immediately.

    Nothing about what happens in the show makes sense. It is all written rather conveniently and non-sensically just for the sole purpose of connecting all the characters together.

    Pretentious, meaningless garbage.    … Expand
  26. TrapKing101
    Dec 3, 2019
    0
    Anyone rating this higher than 5 is clearly some agenda andy because this show is absolute garbage and is not Watchmen material at all. Even the OG creator said he did not want his name to be involved in this **** show hahaha.
  27. RidiculousDeath
    Nov 4, 2019
    0
    Don't waste your time on this. The movie wasn't perfect but it was 1000% better than this garbage.
  28. Yaman1648
    Nov 3, 2019
    0
    Woke trash full of left wing agitprops, plenty of good tv series that aren't propaganda so don't waste your time on this.
  29. Eranger1
    Nov 5, 2019
    0
    Wanted to like it, was looking forward to it but the show is very underwhelming. Disappointed.
  30. Syrona7
    Oct 24, 2019
    0
    I watched the 1st episode and had enough.
    The show is basically an Antifa power fantasy.
    The villains are portrayed as uneducated white people, and the good guys as masked people that are unofficially supported by the law enforcement. There is very little room for other interpretations, as the "good guys" basically represent Antifa. Oh, and get this, there is some sort of    I watched the 1st episode and had enough.
    The show is basically an Antifa power fantasy.

    The villains are portrayed as uneducated white people, and the good guys as masked people that are unofficially supported by the law enforcement. There is very little room for other interpretations, as the "good guys" basically represent Antifa.

    Oh, and get this, there is some sort of presidential candidate in the show, that wants to change things such as a 6 months waiting period on buying guns. So basically we got a conservative presidential candidate that is considered a bad guy by the movie's writers. Oh, look, they shoved a Trump stand-in into the narrative.

    The show also has nothing to do with the actual Watchmen story, it's just names thrown into the same universe.

    Overall, the show is overtly and disgustingly WOKE AND POLITICAL.
    But that wouldn't have been its biggest problem, if the show was actually interesting. It's not, it's boring as **** !

    The show should be named "Wokemen". YUCK!    … Expand
  31. TheMajinTrunks
    Oct 31, 2019
    0
    Original watchmen: existential themes of morality, life, death, love, politics.

    This show: racism is bad, but we're like really really pretentious about it.

    **** This. Show.
  32. dermac
    Jun 14, 2020
    0
    Yes, we get it, racism is bad. We knew that before. Please give us some content.
  33. FGPT
    Oct 25, 2019
    0
    I can't believe they did this to the source material! Who is HBO trying to please? Twitter activists? What about the fandom, The people that actually enjoy the art? Such a waste! The production value is amazing, the directing is great. But it all falls to the ground because the story is terrible.
  34. PicklRick
    Nov 14, 2019
    0
    Netflix 2.0. Focusing on SJW motvies without much of a plot mixed with OK acting. Thank you AT&T for ruining HBO....
  35. kuuderelover
    Dec 16, 2019
    0
    This has nothing to do with Watchmen, only it hangs on its fame to advertise its progressive pamphlet
  36. ZZBEAR
    Nov 3, 2019
    0
    Its not watchmen, its huwhite man bad preachy BS so if that's your thing go for it but most anti-racist people of sound mental health will not enjoy this very much, same old woke racist garbage.
  37. jefferson122332
    Oct 24, 2019
    0
    It doesn't deserve a zero as a few of the more defensive fascists here would like to reactively label it based on its obvious race-relations commentary. But that aside it seems to be a decidedly below average show. Based on the premier it is poorly scripted, the storytelling is unimaginative and incoherent, and it has almost nothing do with the Watchmen universe aside from borrowing a fewIt doesn't deserve a zero as a few of the more defensive fascists here would like to reactively label it based on its obvious race-relations commentary. But that aside it seems to be a decidedly below average show. Based on the premier it is poorly scripted, the storytelling is unimaginative and incoherent, and it has almost nothing do with the Watchmen universe aside from borrowing a few identifying images, lines, and characters of the series which it hamfistedly shoehorns into a listless cop narrative. I can't think of a better way to alienate people who were attracted to this show because they were expecting something t… Expand
  38. MonsieurAthos
    Oct 20, 2019
    0
    Like a low budget, poorly paced Netflix show, filled to the brim with divisive identity-based politics no more original in presentation, caricatures and themes than the dozens of other such shows infesting modern entertainment with killjoy finger-wagging pandering that ironically worsens, inflames and affirms otherness in the guise of raising awareness/being brave. And to anyone remotely aLike a low budget, poorly paced Netflix show, filled to the brim with divisive identity-based politics no more original in presentation, caricatures and themes than the dozens of other such shows infesting modern entertainment with killjoy finger-wagging pandering that ironically worsens, inflames and affirms otherness in the guise of raising awareness/being brave. And to anyone remotely a fan of the original Watchmen, this is a travesty.… Expand
  39. Big_D
    Oct 23, 2019
    0
    For those of us who grew up enthralled with Alan Moore's graphic novel masterpiece, Zach Snyder's 2009 film adaptation was a thin but valiant attempt to bring the work to life. The acting was hit and miss, but the visual effects were stunning. And it did it's best to stay true to the original work.

    I'm not sure what this is but it's not Watchmen in spirit or story. So, within the    For those of us who grew up enthralled with Alan Moore's graphic novel masterpiece, Zach Snyder's 2009 film adaptation was a thin but valiant attempt to bring the work to life. The acting was hit and miss, but the visual effects were stunning. And it did it's best to stay true to the original work.

    I'm not sure what this is but it's not Watchmen in spirit or story. So, within the first 10 mins, I gave up expecting Watchmen and hoped for another series like Westworld. Even that didn't happen. It's Sci-Fi without any desire to be cogent. It's Western without a hero to root for. It's a TV show with one less viewer.    … Expand
  40. 0lolosha
    Nov 7, 2019
    0
    Watchmen who are impossible to watch.
    Why be called the original title of a great comic book - when you could just call it " Black woman vs. white fanatics"
  41. Drebb
    Oct 29, 2019
    0
    Wow, what a waste of time...if you’re a fan of the comics this is NOT for you.
  42. skvbgf44
    Nov 6, 2019
    0
    Very bad series, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring, boring
  43. Erik_Of_Bloom
    Nov 26, 2019
    0
    If you just can’t get enough contemporary progressive political opinions ham-fistedly shoved into your show, then this is for you.

    If you’re a normal person looking for entertainment, or a Watchmen fan, avoid this garbage like the plague.
  44. altoparlant
    Dec 17, 2019
    0
    Worst acting and swaping of key caracters ever. Very cheap visuals and inconsistent graphics.
  45. TLPNull
    Dec 19, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Now that's what I call an horrible adaptation, very poorly written, some good actors, but the story is just awful.… Expand
  46. metacritiqueur
    Sep 2, 2020
    0
    Watchmen, Lovecraft Country ... HBO acquires materials that are too white for his taste, then blackens them. By emphasizing that the white man is evil in 2020.
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Best TV Season of 2019
3
#3 Most Discussed TV Season of 2019
70
#70 Most Shared TV Season of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. The Times
    Reviewed by: Carol Midgley
    Jan 7, 2020
    80
    Weird, weird, weird, but definitely not boring.
    Read full review
  2. The Guardian
    Reviewed by: Lucy Mangan
    Dec 3, 2019
    80
    It is a bravura series that interrogates power, storytelling and the former embedded in the latter. It has a (still unusually) diverse cast, writing team and cohort of directors in terms of both sex and class, and, even as it strays from Moore and Gibbons’ original content, it honours their underlying ambition: to deconstruct our legends and our myths, ask where they come from, what purpose they serve; and to make us think and think again about who tells us what, why – and why they are the ones who get to do so.
    Read full review
  3. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Nov 6, 2019
    70
    You may not always be sure what you're watching, but good luck taking your eyes off Watchmen. [28 Oct - 10 Nov 2019, p.8]
See all critic reviews »