Ryan Murphy’s The Watcher release date, cast, synopsis, trailer and more

The Watcher is an upcoming Netflix original series from the dynamic creative duo, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, and we’re providing all the important details to keep you up to date.

The horror mystery is a limited series and is based on a true story. It’s adapted from a 2018 story titled the same name written by Reeves Wideman from the magazine The Cut. A month after the story was published, Netflix acquired film rights. It was an intense bidding battle that involved six studios, but Netflix came out the winner after paying out seven figures for a rights package.

The Watcher is currently in the post-production phase, so things are moving right along. With that being said, we could possibly see this television series sooner rather than later.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming limited series.

When is The Watcher filming?

Good news for fans eagerly awaiting The Watcher, star Naomi Watts recently revealed that filming had wrapped on the show’s first season. That means we can probably anticipate the show premiering sometime this year!

The Watcher release date

The streamer revealed in a new press release that the series will arrive in fall 2022. We were already expecting a late 2022 release because Naomi Watts had previously revealed that the show would come out “later this year” in an old Instagram post back in March. But it’s good to know that nothing got pushed back.

We have good news to share. During Netflix’s TUDUM, the streamer announced that The Watcher is coming to Netflix on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022!

The Watcher cast

This series has an amazingly talented ensemble cast, and we provide the actors’ names down below:

• Naomi Watts
• Bobby Cannavale
• Jennifer Coolidge
• Noma Dumezweni
• Mia Farrow
• Margo Martindale
• Henry Hunter Hall
• Richard Kind
• Isabel Gravitt
• Seth Gabel
• Chris McDonald
• Terry Kinney
• Michael Nouri
• Aidan Pierce Brennan
• Lily Talevski
• Joe Mantello
• Luke David Blumm

The Watcher synopsis

Netflix has not released an official synopsis, but we have an idea of what the limited series is about. The Watcher follows a married couple whose move into their dream home is halted when they receive creepy letters and threats from a mysterious stalker called The Watcher.

What’s on Netflix provided us the basic premise of the story and we shared it below:

"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."

Here’s a more detailed premise of the show via the Netflix press release below:

"Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts) just purchased their dream home in the idyllic suburb of Westfield, New Jersey, but after putting all of their savings into closing the deal they soon realize the neighborhood is less than welcoming. There’s a kooky older woman named Pearl (Mia Farrow) and her brother Jasper (Terry Kinney), who sneaks into the Brannock’s house and hides in their dumbwaiter. There’s Karen (Jennifer Coolidge), the realtor and an old acquaintance of Nora’s, who makes them feel like they don’t really belong, and nosy neighbors Mitch (Richard Kind) and Mo (Margo Martindale), who don’t seem to understand property lines. Their icy welcome quickly turns into a full-blown living hell when ominous letters from someone calling themself “The Watcher” start arriving, terrorizing the Brannocks to their breaking point as the neighborhood’s sinister secrets come spilling out."

The Watcher episode count

The limited series will consist of seven episodes. Since the horror mystery is billed as a limited series, there will most likely only be one season. However, there’s a possibility that there could be a second season if enough people watch the series.

The Watcher teaser

Check out this funny teaser starring Jennifer Coolidge!

The marketing for The Watcher is top-notch! The creative team behind the series also created a fake Zillow page for the infamous house.

The Watcher photos

The Watcher trailer

Take a look at the official trailer to get pumped for the show’s release!

The Watcher arrives on Netflix on Oct. 13 at 12:00 a.m. PT/3:00 a.m. ET!