Long before HBO’s Watchmen actually hit the airwaves, series creator Damon Lindelof made it clear that the season of television he and his writers had concocted would tell a complete story with a definitive ending. He didn’t rule out a second season, but said that he would only consider coming back if he had something else to say. Turns out that he didn’t, as he confirmed to USA Today this week that he isn’t interested in more Watchmen.
Although Lindelof says he’s given HBO his blessing to do more Watchmen without him if the network pleases, he has officially walked away from the show after a critically-acclaimed and popular first season. If HBO wants to continue the story, or perhaps tell an entirely new one in the same universe, it will be without Lindelof.
Considering how many people watched the first season, it seems likely that HBO will at least explore its options when it comes to building upon the series, but HBO programming chief Casey Bloys poured some cold water on the idea of continuing to work on the show without the man who masterminded it in the first place.
“It would be hard to imagine doing it without Damon involved in some way,” Bloys told USA Today.
But, in the words of Dr. Manhattan, “nothing ever ends,” and even if it takes a few years for Lindelof to come around and take another stab at this universe, or HBO finds a new team with a fresh idea, we’re not counting out the idea of more Watchmen until the series is officially canceled by the network for good.
