Having inflicted hell on the families of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims, Ryan Murphy also had another true crime series take over Netflix this fall. The Watcher starred Oscar nominee Naomi Watts and Emmy award winner Bobby Cannavale — alongside Mia Farrow and our fave Jennifer Coolidge —and followed a wealthy family from New Jersey who move to their dream house in the suburbs, only to find that someone is watching their house and sending creepy, threatening letters.
Like the Dahmer series, The Watcher quickly became the number 1 most watched content on Netflix a week after it came out (it is now sitting at the number 2 spot on the English language site) and was viewed in total for 125.01 million hours, making it one of Ryan Murphy’s best performing shows (where was this energy for Scream Queens in 2015?) It’s no surprise then that The Watcher has already been renewed for a second season.
Those who watched the show might be confused by a continuation of the story given that the final season ended by sharing that — SPOILERS! — the culprit behind the threatening letters was never caught, just like in the real life story of the house.
First chronicled in an article by The Cut back in November 2018, the true story behind the series is just as messed up. At the centre of it were the white picket fence, upper-middle class Broaddus family who moved into 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. A few days after their arrival, a note arrived addressed to ‘The New Owner’. “How did you end up here?” whoever was behind the letter typed. “Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?”. It went on to claim that his family, for generations, had watched the house the Broaddus clan had just moved into. And now he was watching them too: commenting on the number of children the family had and the contractors they’d employed to renovate the house (much to the chagrin of The Watcher). “Welcome my friends, welcome,” that first letter finished. “Let the party begin.” He signed it in cursive: The Watcher.
It would begin a month’s long series of letters that would slowly reveal more and more details about the Broaddus’ family life, including the children’s nicknames, recounted scenes of them doing recreational activities, and ongoing renovations within the house. The messages became so intimate that the family were convinced one of their neighbours must be behind it.
Since the first season ended in much the same place as the true story, it’s unclear what the plot of the second season will entail and who within the cast will be returning. As long as we get more Jennifer Coolidge though, we’ll be happy.