The Watcher Season 2 Is Officially On The Way

Less than a month after Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy’s Jeffrey Dahmer series became one of the biggest ever on Netflix, the pair dropped another terrifying title based on a true story. The Watcher, which premiered Oct. 13, dramatizes the mystery of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. And there are enough twists and turns to leave fans wanting The Watcher Season 2.

As was explored in a 2018 New York Magazine article, the Broaddus family purchased the home in 2014 and started receiving a series of threatening letters from an anonymous sender named The Watcher. The letters described the family’s children as “young blood” and spoke of tracking them through the house. Ultimately, the family was so spooked that they never actually moved into their new home and sold it in 2019.

Despite the true story behind The Watcher taking place over a relatively short period of time, a lot went down during that period, and new theories have emerged since. In the weeks surrounding its release, coverage surrounding the show has described it as a limited series. However, on Nov. 7, Netflix announced that The Watcher Season 2 is, indeed, happening. The news broke in a tweet that also announced the renewal of Monster, which will be an anthology series.

However, unlike Murphy’s Monster series, The Watcher Season 2 seems to be a straightforward continuation of the spooky mystery. Here’s everything we know so far.

The Watcher Season 2 Cast

Netflix hasn’t announced the cast for The Watcher Season 2, but it will likely include familiar faces from Season 1, including Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts as Dean and Nora Brannock. The characters stand in for Derek and Maria Broaddus, who requested their names be changed for the series, per The Cut. The show will probably invite Jennifer Coolidge’s real estate agent character, Karen Calhoun, back for Season 2.

The Watcher Season 2 Plot

According to Deadline, that original 2018 article was part of the “rights package” Netflix secured to make The Watcher. However, there have been developments since then. This October, New York Magazine published via The Cut an update to the story, describing new efforts to make sense of the mystery. (Spoiler alert, it’s still unsolved.)

According to the outlet, these efforts have ranged from a voluntary neighborhood-wide DNA swab to the Broadduses’ pursuit of private forensic genealogy to crack the case. The Cut also describes a recent theory about a local retired teacher who reportedly spoke about sending letters to a Westfield home, which is briefly explored on the show.

As of today, it seems that these efforts have been largely fruitless for the family — but even so, they could serve as fodder for Season 2.

Alternatively, The Watcher could venture into more fictional territory and perhaps even solve the mystery, something that has yet to happen off-screen. During a virtual Oct. 29 cast press event, Murphy explained that his characters were all based on real people, thanks to extensive research and falling into “Reddit wormholes.” He also pointed to several theories about The Watcher’s identity, including a “screenwriter teacher in town,” as well as a real estate agent, much like Coolidge’s Karen. In some takes, he referred to Karen as The Watcher.

As Coolidge added, Murphy didn’t tell any of the cast if they were The Watcher — so she infused her performance with some humor in case he ultimately decided to make her the culprit. “I thought we were trying to throw people off, and I wanted to make some moments funny because I thought maybe it would be more surprising that I would be The Watcher,” she added. “I wanted to be less suspicious.”

While Murphy theorized that Theodora (Noma Dumezweni) “would come back and haunt everyone” if there was a Season 2, Coolidge also had ideas about what should happen to her character, specifically. “I think Karen needs a good slap across the face,” she revealed. “I think Karen needs to be punished. . . . I think Karen’s gotten away with a lot.”

Watts’ take? “Nora’s gonna take care of Karen,” she joked.

The Watcher Season 2 Potential Premiere Date

The Watcher Season 2 was only just announced, so it’s hard to speculate about a potential release date. According to Watts’ Instagram, production on Season 1 began in September 2021 and reportedly wrapped the following March, per Newsweek. So if The Watcher Season 2 release date follows a similar timeline, you can likely expect the mystery to continue in late 2023 or early 2024.

This post will be updated with the trailer, release date, and additional plot details as more information on The Watcher Season 2 becomes available.