The Watcher Release Date: Is It Based on a True Story?

By Joseph On Oct 3, 2022

It is customary to have a party when one moves into a new residence. When an unknown person begins sending weird letters, claiming to have watched the home for the previous two decades, it puts a bit of a damper on things. This person claims to have monitored the home.

The Watcher, a new limited series on Netflix that is based on a real-life event, depicts this precise scenario in its first season. In 2018, the streaming juggernaut purchased the rights to do so. Ryan Murphy, who created American Horror Story, and Ian Brennan, who worked with Murphy, are both listed as creators of the show.

In this chaotic open house, we will share everything you need to know about The Watcher, so be sure to come prepared.

When Will The Watcher Be Released on Netflix?

The announcement was made in a recent press release by the streaming service, which stated that the series will debut in the fall of 2022. Because Naomi Watts had already disclosed that the show would come out “later this year” in an old Instagram post in March, we already had a good reason to anticipate that it would be released in the latter half of 2022. However, it is encouraging to see that nothing was delayed further.

We are happy to report the following. The streaming service Netflix made the announcement during its TUDUM event that The Watcher would debut on Netflix on Thursday, October 13, 2022! Get ready for a crazy open house because we’re going to share all you need to know about The Watcher with you.

Also Read: Netflix Has Finally Given The School for Good and Evil a Release Date!

Who Will Star in the Watcher?

Dean and Nora Brannock, played by Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts, are a married couple looking forward to settling into their new house in a seemingly perfect New Jersey neighbourhood.

Their kids, Carter and Ellie, are played by Blumm and Gravitt, respectively, while a slew of Hollywood heavy hitters make appearances as their suspicious neighbours and the rest of the suburb.

In The White Lotus, Jennifer Coolidge plays Nora’s longtime friend and real estate agent Karen. Mitch and Mo, the Brannocks’ obnoxious and domineering next-door neighbours, are played by Richard Kind and Margo Martindale. Next door neighbour Pearl is played by Mia Farrow, and her brother Jasper is played by Terry Kinney.

Jasper is a frequent intruder at the Brannock residence, hiding out in the dumbwaiter. The Brannocks’ new suburban dream home soon turns into a nightmare after they move in. The ominous letters from “The Watcher” are only the beginning as the dark truths of the community are revealed.

The famed ‘Watcher’ mansion in New Jersey served as inspiration. Ryan Murphy co-created the series with Ian Brennan (who also contributed to Dahmer and The Politician), and they both serve as executive producers.

Must Read: When Will Open Your Eyes Season 2 Be Released on Netflix?

What Will Be the Storyline of The Watcher?

The Brannock family has just settled into their new house when an unexpected letter arrives. Then, a terrifying chain of events unfolds as the family begins to worry about their safety in their new dwelling. The letter writer insists they will keep an eye on the household, calls the family their obsession, and urges them to “give the house what it wants.”

The parents’ reactions to this seem to spiral downwards. It seems like no matter where the dad, Dean (Bobby Cannavale), looks, another nosy neighbour is lurking nearby.

It’s unclear what interaction exists between the Brannocks and their neighbours, especially after one of them remarked to him that they thought they could be friends. The letters are “just the beginning as the neighborhood’s sinister secrets come spilling out,” according to the series synopsis, so it’s safe to assume that there’s more going on behind the scenes with each neighbour and in the area as a whole.

The teaser features a few unsettling visuals that give the impression that the series will introduce new elements to the plot. The Watcher, both the show and the person, is full of surprises, from the police investigating four individuals laying on the floor (probably dead) to the Brannock parents racing through what seems like an underground tunnel.

Here is the official synopsis of the series:

Based on the real-life case, beginning in 2014, of the Broaddus family, who were spied on, threatened, and ultimately driven to sell their home & leave the town they loved, by a mysterious stalker who identified themselves only as “The Watcher” in the letters sent to Mr & Mrs Broaddus.

The Watcher: Trailer

During the Tudum fan event in September of 2022, Netflix unveiled a trailer for The Watcher:

Is It Based on a True Story?

The Broadduses are a real family that moved into the 657 Boulevard home in Westfield, New Jersey in 2014. A unsettling letter from “The Watcher,” addressed to “The New Owner,” arrived in the mail just before they moved.

Over the course of a few years, they received a number of letters indicating that the house disapproved of the improvements they were making and referred to their children as “young blood.”