Watchmen: Why Is HBO Giving Up So Soon

It looks like HBO’s Watchmen is a one-and-done show. After an intriguing first season, the network and showrunners are uncertain about its future but are leaning towards it being a limited series. With all the fanfare surrounding the show that’s the worst possible news. With show creator Damon Lindelof backing out on a second season, it appears HBO will as will, a huge mistake.

Like the source material, Watchmen will be left to the short run and leaving fans wanting more. Originally a comic, then graphic novel Watchmen is one of the best-read novels of the past 100 years according to Time Magazine. Then it faded from the spotlight. Zac Snyder was able to helm the movie to bring the story back to the forefront but was met with limited reception. Fast forward a few more years and DC brought it back as a comic to tie into their main comic universe with Doomsday Clock. HBO would go on to pick it up as what was supposed to be yet another Game of Thrones replacement but appears that will never come to be.

So why is it so hard for one of the fan favorites in their library to catch footing? Yes, Alan Moore and the original writers have kept the story close to their hearts and kept them from being too tainted but the novel, the movie, the comics, and the show all had a tremendous following. Is HBO jumping the gun by giving up just because Lindelof doesn’t want to return?

Take a look at Showtime and American Gods to see that a show can go on without the original show creator. Going into its third season and the same number of showrunners, American Gods is still a strongly written show despite who is in charge. The same can be said of a former Lindelof project, LOST. When LOST first came out it was partially the brainchild of J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, with the pilot being directed by Abrams himself. From then on Carlton Cuse and Lindelof turn the show into a cultural phenomenon.

With the right showrunner, a good show can go on without its creator. The Watchmen universe has had it’s following since day one. There are show many stories left to be told and adapt to the changing times. Even with the show leaving the door open for season 2, for whatever reason HBO has decided to give up and Watchmen again will fade from the spotlight.