Spoiler Warning!
Just a few weeks ago, Netflix’s new television series The Watcher premiered and quickly reached the top of the charts. As of late October, it remains in the number one spot on Netflix’s “Top 10 TV Shows in the U.S. Today” list. This based-on-a-true-story series grew in popularity after swiftly replacing the new Jeffrey Dahmer show as number one. It is safe to say Americans love their true crime.
So, the real question (and probably the reason you clicked on this article) is, should you watch The Watcher? The short answer is yes, but I still have a few thoughts to share about the TV show, whether you have seen it or not.
The first thing that sparked my interest in watching the new series was, of course, TikTok. I came across a video before The Watcher came out on Netflix that gave me some background on the case. The Watcher is based on the real-life story of the Broaddus family, who bought a new home in Westfield, New Jersey, where the TV show also takes place. Long story short, the Broadduses began receiving mysterious letters that included specific details about the house and their children, often using the term “young blood.” Creepy, right? The typewritten letters were signed by “The Watcher” at the bottom and did not include any information that could identify the author.
The TV show started off with a pretty realistic storyline: the family bought a beautiful new home only to be met with their worst nightmare — a series of creepy letters indirectly threatening to harm their children. While The Watcher did add many non-fiction storylines to the actual case of the Broaddus family, I liked how the writers kept the TV show letters almost identical to the real-life Watcher letters. However, as you get further into The Watcher, some interesting sub-plots are added to the storyline that did not occur in real life and did not add much to the show in my opinion. For example, the whole neighborhood blood cult situation came out of the left field, leaving me extremely confused — and not in a good way. Like many storylines within the show, it was only mentioned a couple of times and it never gave the audience an explanation.
As for the ending of the show, I was unsatisfied, to say the least. Yes — in real-life the case remains unsolved and “The Watcher” has never been found. But, I feel like since the screenwriters already added so many fictional events to the story, they might as well have given the audience what their mouths were watering for: an answer to who the Watcher is.
Although I was eager to voice my complaints about The Watcher, I still think it is a must-see; there is a reason it has been in Netflix’s number-one spot for so long. Therefore, my final answer is yes, you should watch The Watcher.
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