''The Watcher'' is an American mystery

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

television series created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan for Netflix. It premiered on October 13, 2022. It is loosely based on a 2018 article by Reeves Wiedeman for ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' magazine's website, "The Cut." Despite being originally conceived as a

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, ''The Watcher'' was renewed for a second season in November 2022.

Premise

The series follows a married couple who, after moving into their dream home in a fictionalized version of Westfield, New Jersey, are harassed by creepy letters signed by a stalker who goes by the pseudonym "The Watcher".

Cast and characters

Main

* Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock *

Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in ''Third Watch'', ''Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in ''Will & Grace'', which wo ...

as Dean Brannock * Isabel Gravitt as Ellie Brannock * Luke David Blumm as Carter Brannock *

Jennifer Coolidge Jennifer Audrey Coolidge (born August 28, 1961) is an American actress known for her roles in comedic film and television particularly in American Pie (series), ''American Pie'' film series (1999–2012), Legally Blonde (franchise), ''Legally Bl ...

as Karen Calhoun * Margo Martindale as Maureen / Mo * Richard Kind as Mitch (season 1) * Mia Farrow as Pearl Winslow * Terry Kinney as Jasper Winslow *

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...

as Det. Rourke Chamberland * Noma Dumezweni as Theodora Birch (season 1) * Joe Mantello as William "Bill" Webster / John Graff *

Henry Hunter Hall Henry Hunter Hall is an American actor. Early life The son of filmmaker Kasi Lemmons and actor Vondie Curtis-Hall, he appeared as a child in Curtis-Hall’s 1997 film ''Gridlock'd'' starring Tim Roth and Tupac. His uncle is fashion designer Kev ...

as Dakota

Recurring

* Michael Nouri as Roger Kaplan * Danny Garcia as Steve * Seth Gabel as Andrew Pierce * Susan Merson as Tammy * Seth Barrish as Jack * Michael Devine as Christopher *

Stephanie Kurtzuba Stephanie Kurtzuba (born March 20, 1972) is an American film, television, and theater actress. She is best known for her roles in the films '' The Wolf of Wall Street'' (2013), ''Annie'' (2014), and ''The Irishman'' (2019), and on television in a ...

as Helen Graff * Matthew Del Negro as Darren Dunn *

Jeffrey Brooks Jeffrey Brooks (born 1956) is an American composer living in Minneapolis. Brooks composed the popular work ''Dreadnought'' (for wind ensemble) as well as several works for Bang on a Can. Brooks holds degrees from the University of Minnesota and Ya ...

as Police Officer *

Patricia Black Patricia Black may refer to: * Patricia Black (Irish republican) (1972–1991), Irish republican * Patricia Black (actress) (born 1956), American actress {{hndis, Black, Patricia ...

as Marjorie * Kate Skinner as Trish * Anthony Bowden as Young Roger * Pamela Dunlap as Carol Flanagan * Brittany Bradford as Nina * Jeff Hiller as Therapist

Episodes

Season 1 (2022)

Production

The series is based on a 2018 article for ''

'' " The Cut" by Reeves Wiedeman, which chronicled the experience of Derek and Maria Broaddus after they received threatening letters upon moving into their home at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey in 2014, which continued until they sold the home in 2019. The character John Graff was based on

John List John List may refer to: * John A. List (born 1968), American economist * John List (murderer) John Emil List (September 17, 1925 – March 21, 2008) was an American mass murderer and long-time fugitive. On November 9, 1971, he killed his wife, ...

, a mass murderer and longtime fugitive who murdered his family in his Westfield home in 1971. Similarities between John Graff's character and the List murders include his career as an accountant, attending Lutheran church, and murdering his family members and live-in mother, along with leaving music playing in the house and planning an alibi that would cause the bodies to remain undiscovered for several weeks. On-location scenes for the home at 657 Boulevard were filmed at a private residence in Rye, New York that was built in 2016. The scenes where the Brannock family stays at a motel were filmed at an operating motel located in the hamlet of Locust Valley on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. While no scenes were filmed at the real-life 657 Boulevard residence in Westfield, the neighborhood received increased attention from visitors and fans following the release of the series; the home was guarded by police and barricade tape to prevent trespassers in October 2022.

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 56% approval rating with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 34 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "This suburban nightmare sometimes achieves the campy fright of creator Ryan Murphy's best horror fare, but it sprawls in too many ludicrous directions to satisfy." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 54 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Daniel D'Addario of '' Variety'' summarized the show as "ultimately unremarkable fiction."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Watcher 2020s American drama television series 2020s American mystery television series 2020s American horror television series 2022 American television series debuts American thriller television series English-language Netflix original programming Horror drama television series Television series about families Television series based on actual events Television series based on Internet-based works Television series created by Ryan Murphy (writer) Television shows set in Manhattan Television shows set in New Jersey Works about stalking