Netflix thriller that seemed all but canceled gets unexpected season 2 update

If you have been keeping track of Netflix's renewals and cancellations, you might have noticed that there's a small batch of Netflix original series that were renewed but never came back. Among those are Melissa McCarthy's ill-fated comedy God's Favorite Idiot, which never completed its original order, and Ryan Murphy's fan-favorite Sarah Paulson series Ratched.

But beyond those two shows, there's one more Netflix series that might have an even more curious trajectory. Also from Murphy, the mystery-horror series The Watcher was first released in October 2022 and intended to be a limited series. However, after far exceeding viewership expectations, the show received a surprise season 2 renewal one month later. Since then, it's been quiet.

The Watcher season 2 might be happening after all

However, as What's on Netflix has reported, The Watcher season 2 could actually have some legs after four long years of sitting in purgatory. Allegedly, production listings have indicated that filming could begin on the follow-up season sometime this summer or in October 2026 and complete production by early next spring. That's the most concrete evidence of season 2 moving forward yet.

In the past, Murphy has stated to the media that he had turned his focus away from his Netflix productions, apart from the hit Monster anthology series, and put his efforts into his collaborations with Disney. The prolific producer is going into the second season of the Kim Kardashian legal drama All's Fair on Hulu and launching the period teen drama The Shards on FX in August.

Additionally, Naomi Watts, who stars in both The Watcher and All's Fair, didn't have any updates on The Watcher season 2. That's an incredibly rare statement for a star to make about a show they are actively involved in. Because of comments like those made by Murphy and Watts, fans had begun to believe that Netflix wasn't moving forward with season 2 and the show had been quietly canceled.

We're still far away from a potential season 2 release

Still, even with this small development and sign of life for the show, there aren't any other details readily available just yet. For instance, the cast hasn't been set, whether that's the stars from the first season returning or a new batch of actors joining the series. What's more, Netflix also never revealed if the second season would continue season 1's narrative or anthologize the concept.

Given the alleged filming dates currently going around, The Watcher season 2 probably wouldn't even be ready for release until very late in 2027 or sometime in 2028, which would have allowed up to six years to elapse since the show first premiered. Unless the concept and cast for the second season adds something totally unmissable to the series, Netflix might have to weigh whether it's worth it.

What does seem to make bringing the show back worth it to Netflix, or at least after the first season dropped, was the fact that the series debuted with 125 million hours viewed in its first four days of release. In its second week and first full week, the series nabbed another 148.2 million hours viewed. Netflix no longer tracks shows by hours viewed, but these numbers are still undoubtedly massive.

Stay tuned for more The Watcher season 2 news and updates, should there be any!

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