HBO’s Watchmen Critics Promo Released

The big day is here and Watchmen will be along in just a few short hours. HBO’s well-anticipated superhero series put out a trailer with some of the critical response to the show. At first fans were confused about what to expect from the show. After all, we are not too far removed from Zack Snyder’s Watchmen film which tries to be as deliberately close to the source material as possible. The HBO show has different goals in mind as Damon Lindelof is shooting for a look at what the world of Watchmen would look like after the big climax of the original graphic novel. The showrunner has had to answer for a lot of criticism around his project because of the looming presence of creator Alan Moore’s wishes around the property and the vocal fanbase who is very tired of people playing around in this sandbox.

Most of the press reactions so far have been nothing short of positive. When the first trailer released, observers were pleased with the cinematography present on the show and some of the stylistic choices present in the world building for the series. Lindelof clearly likes the source material, but did not feel bound to merely cater to the established characters from the graphic novels. He’s talked about the show functioning as a kind of sequel to Watchmen rather than a remake or a reboot.

“Look, [the new series] certainly fits into the “sequel” box, and definitely doesn’t fit into the “reboot” box,” Lindelof told Entertainment Weekly over the Summer. “We treat the original 12 issues as canon. They all happened. We haven’t done any revisionist history, but we can maneuver in between the cracks and crevices and find new stories there. But for all the reasons you just articulated, we wanted to make sure our first episode felt like the beginning of a new story rather than a continuation of an old story. That’s what I think a sequel is — the continuation of an old story.”

So, everything that happened in those books absolutely occurred and in turn molded the events that took place after that point in this universe. Lindelof also battled some criticism he took for some comments about Moore’s disapproval of the show. The fandom wasn’t feeling the disrespect for the author when he said that he was honoring Moore’s spirit when stepping aboard the project. He cleared the air in an interview with TV Insider.

Lindelof began, “I’m not creating this world; I’m adding to a world already created… all I can do is stay true to the spirit of Watchmen and pray that it all works out. I owe everything to Watchmen, and it’s an honor to officially get the chance to pay off that debt.”

It looks like the show might have a chance to do just that. Comicbook.com will have all sort of coverage around Watchmen including analysis and reviews, so stay tuned for that in the coming hours and days.

Watchmen premieres tonight on HBO at 9 PM ET.