The Watcher: What is the true story behind Naomi Watts’ upcoming Netflix series?

The Watcher starring Naomi Watts is coming to Netflix soon, and we’ve learned some new updates about the upcoming original series that we’d like to share with you. Also, we will get into what the show is all about and what’s the story behind it.

The Watcher is helmed by American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy and his frequent collaborator Ian Brennan. It’s one of Murphy’s latest projects under his giant $300 million output deal with Netflix.

Murphy has many shows and movies of different genres, but the genre he always seems to go back to is horror. He has dabbled again in the horror genre with The Watcher, and after you find out everything there is to know about the show, you’ll be ready to watch it immediately.

So what’s the real story behind the horror series? We’ve answered this burning question and more below!

Is The Watcher based on a true story?

Yes! It is a television adaptation of a story from The Cut magazine written by Reeves Wiedeman and published in November 2018. In just a month later, Netflix acquired rights to the story after a heated auction. But the streamer’s plans at the time were to create a film adaptation, not a series.

What is the true story behind The Watcher?

The story is based on a real-life case, beginning in June 2014, concerning the Broaddus family moving into what they thought would be their dream home in Westfield, New Jersey. After purchasing the home at $1.3 million and preparing to move in, the Broaddus family found a strange letter addressed to the new occupants in the mail. The anonymous writer detailed how he had been watching the house for decades and even knew things about the Broaddus family.

The Broaddus family immediately sought out the police as more and more letters arrived. The anonymous writer would only identify himself as “The Watcher” in the many letters but would continue to threaten them. The Broaddus family became suspicious of their neighbors while trying to figure out who the mysterious stalker was. This, of course, turned their dream into a nightmare. Eventually, the Broaddus family couldn’t take it anymore and put the house back on the market. The house was sold in July 2019.

Who is in The Watcher cast?

Here is the cast via IMDb below:

• Naomi Watts
• Bobby Cannavale
• Jennifer Coolidge
• Noma Dumezweni
• Yuko Torihara
• Mia Farrow
• Margo Martindale
• Luke David Blumm
• Kathryn Boswell
• Lily Talevski
• Jonathan Rayson
• Samantha Blaire Cutler
• Aidan Pierce Brennan
• Isabel Gravitt

There are other supporting cast members that we did not include in the list. You can see the full cast and crew on the horror series IMDb page.

The Watcher release date

Don’t miss The Watcher on Netflix when it comes out Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022!

On March 2, leading actress Naomi Watts posted on her Instagram page that production on the horror show would wrap that day. The caption reads, “Last day on @thewatchernetflix! So sad to say farewell to the cast and crew! Watch out for The Watcher … coming out on @netflix later this year.. you’ll be glued to your seats. #itsawrap.”