HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ tv series

[Jumptheshark]

HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ Pilot Casts Regina King, Don Johnson, Four Others
Watchmen (TV Series 2018– ) - IMDb
Damon Lindelof of Lost fame

Like lost, the details are being kept under lock and key

Click to read more...

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Can't wait for this one. I hope they don't blow it! I absolutely loved Watchmen.

 

[Mr Fahrenheit]

Had no idea this was a thing, trust HBO

 

[Shareefruck]

An HBO superhero thing sounds promising, but it sounds like it's not going to be about the original story, which is a major bummer-- The graphic novel would have been perfect for an HBO mini-series.

 

[les Habs]

What? Can't wait for this! The Watchmen characters are far more interesting than the majority of the other comics out there. The film was also far better than anything DC or Marvel have done.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

You mean the same DC that did... The Watchmen?

 

[Jumptheshark]

Sleepy Hollow's Tom Mison Nabs a Lead Role in HBO's Watchmen Pilot

latest addition

 

[NyQuil]

An HBO superhero thing sounds promising, but it sounds like it's not going to be about the original story, which is a major bummer-- The graphic novel would have been perfect for an HBO mini-series.

I'm actually more interested to see something novel.

I've read the graphic novel series and seen the film.

I know that Alan Moore will hate it but sometimes you have to try and break new ground.

 

[Shareefruck]

I'm actually more interested to see something novel.

I've read the graphic novel series and seen the film.

I know that Alan Moore will hate it but sometimes you have to try and break new ground.

Bah, novelty schnovelty. Without the greatness of the original story, my enthusiasm/expectations more or less drop to what it is for any other Superhero TV series, except with a slight interest in the fact that it's coming from HBO.

I'd side with Moore on something like this personally and rather it be called something else. It's bad enough that more people seem to know about Watchmen through that crappy movie than they do the comic book, we don't need another thing skewing people's perception of it.

 

[NyQuil]

Without the greatness of the original story, my enthusiasm/expectations more or less drop to what it is for any other Superhero TV series, except with a slight interest in the fact that it's coming from HBO.

I've already endured watching an extended HBO television show adapted from existing content (Game of Thrones), and while it's interesting to see how it is converted to the television medium, and how the cast performs in the role of the characters, I have an inherent difficulty in being fully vested in the show because I largely already knew what was going to happen for the majority of the episodes.

I felt more like a disembodied observer as a result, and my ability to connect emotionally with it was compromised.

 

[Shareefruck]

I've already endured watching an extended HBO television show adapted from existing content (Game of Thrones), and while it's interesting to see how it is converted to the television medium, and how the cast performs in the role of the characters, I have an inherent difficulty in being fully vested in the show because I largely already knew what was going to happen for the majority of the episodes.

I felt more like a disembodied observer as a result, and my ability to connect emotionally with it was compromised.

On the other hand Game of Thrones was well done when it stuck closely to the original story, and then derailed and became kind of awful once it ran out of source material and had to come up with its own.

 

[NyQuil]

On the other hand Game of Thrones was well done when it stuck closely to the original story, and then derailed and became kind of awful once it ran out of source material and had to come up with its own.

Well, I suspect that the source material is still largely derived from George R. R. Martin's vision for how the series is supposed to end. It's not as if he's no longer available for consultation, or that he didn't inform the creators of his view of the resolution of the story.

The real casualty of ending the series so abruptly has been a need to resolve a whole host of character arcs and plot elements across relatively little screen time. The end result is a jarring shift in the pacing of the show which was really a hallmark of those early seasons.

If they had the luxury of maintaining the original pacing, I suspect you wouldn't see the same drop in quality.

As it stands, the moments of subtle and superb character interaction is largely lost behind dramatic set piece events, forced conversations for exposition's sake and over-the-top confrontations. What felt like the Godfather now ends up feeling more like Speed.

 

[Shareefruck]

Well, I suspect that the source material is still largely derived from George R. R. Martin's vision for how the series is supposed to end. It's not as if he's no longer available for consultation, or that he didn't inform the creators of his view of the resolution of the story.

The real casualty of ending the series so abruptly has been a need to resolve a whole host of character arcs and plot elements across relatively little screen time. The end result is a jarring shift in the pacing of the show which was really a hallmark of those early seasons.

If they had the luxury of maintaining the original pacing, I suspect you wouldn't see the same drop in quality.

As it stands, the moments of subtle and superb character interaction is largely lost behind dramatic set piece events, forced conversations for exposition's sake and over-the-top confrontations. What felt like the Godfather now ends up feeling more like Speed.

Having a general idea of his vision is a far cry from actual material to re-purpose though. On top of that, the problems began as early as season 5, and I don't recall that season feeling like a sprint to the finish line.

 

[NyQuil]

Having a general idea of his vision is a far cry from actual material to re-purpose though. On top of that, the problems began as early as season 5, and I don't recall that season feeling like a sprint to the finish line.

I really had no real issues with season 5.

The Sand Snakes were poorly executed I suppose, but their part was small.

Hardhome was a great episode.

 

[Shareefruck]

I really had no real issues with season 5.

The Sand Snakes were poorly executed I suppose, but their part was small.

Hardhome was a great episode.

Given our differences w/ old Simpsons vs. new Simpsons, we're probably on polar opposite viewpoints with this kind of thing in general. I thought S5 was their worst season and the show completely fell out of favor with me after that point.. S6 was a bit of a resurgence, though.

Personally, I don't care about the anticipation/novelty of seeing something new (you can do that with any other new property anyways) and feel that if something's actually good, it doesn't matter if you can see everything coming or not. I place a greater value on the integrity of an original thing and feel that it's worth it to sacrifice possibly enjoyable off-shoots in order to preserve how perfect they are.

New Simpsons episodes, for example, I feel have soured/misled people's perception of the name, "The Simpsons" in general, and I'd hate to see the same thing happen to Watchmen (more than it already has by the movie).

That said, if it turns out to be really great, this will all be moot. But I don't really support the idea of taking that gamble, nor do I like the odds of it turning out to be worth it.

 

[NyQuil]

I place a greater value on the integrity of an original thing and feel that it's worth it to sacrifice possibly enjoyable off-shoots in order to preserve how perfect they are.

That's fair.

For my part, I can distinguish between the various incarnations so I don't really see an issue.

 

[Shareefruck]

That's fair.

For my part, I can distinguish between the various incarnations so I don't really see an issue.

My view is that even if I can distinguish between different variations (eg. I can keep in mind and tediously remind others that I like S2-S4 of The Simpsons specifically, rather than just "The Simpsons"), they still become mixed together in an unfortunate jumbled mess that's confusing and misleading to others who aren't familiar with it, and that will inevitably affect perception of a great thing in a negative way. For example, a common attitude I've encountered with Watchmen is one where people lose interest in checking out the Watchmen graphic novel because they watched the movie and had a lukewarm reaction to it. I find that very unfortunate and regrettable.

On the flip side, when something has the integrity to stubbornly preserve what it is (like, say, Bill Watterson with Calvin and Hobbes), I find that incredibly satisfying and one of the most respectable and appreciated things someone can do. When someone talks about Calvin and Hobbes being brilliant, there are no confused/misled perceptions, and there are no caveats or missteps to look out for. It just stands on its own and is exactly as advertised.

That said, when a huge deviating risk is taken and it works equally as well as the original, that's admittedly a really cool feeling too. But ideally, I'd want that to come in the form of spiritual successors that don't affect a thing's reputation if it doesn't work out. (unless the original artists are the ones working on it, that's another story)

 

[Jumptheshark]

interesting casting to say the least

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

 

[The Macho King]

An HBO superhero thing sounds promising, but it sounds like it's not going to be about the original story, which is a major bummer-- The graphic novel would have been perfect for an HBO mini-series.

The graphic novel is the graphic novel. Why recreate a perfect story (for the medium)?

This is better. Don't get too attached to the source material. This looks promising.

 

[Shareefruck]

The graphic novel is the graphic novel. Why recreate a perfect story (for the medium)?

This is better. Don't get too attached to the source material. This looks promising.

I disagree. Interpretations of existing material can be worthwhile when they're done tastefully, IMO. They usually aren't though.

The only issue I have with this is really just calling it "Watchmen". It's essentially a new property that is unnecessarily going to siphon some of the reputation of the perfect graphic novel. To me, that's worse. If it was called something else but took place in the same world, I wouldn't have a problem with that.

 

[HanSolo]

A bit amusing that this is coming out after Netflix did Umbrella Academy which drew pretty heavily from the themes of Watchmen.

 

[Jussi]

Don Johnson

 

[x Tame Impala]

What the hell was that? Bunch of dudes in Rorsach masks yelling tick tock?

 

[izzy]

it should have jackie earle haley in it

movie was wicked and he was the best part