Watchmen Showrunner Damon Lindelof Explains Why He Won’t Return for Season 2

If and when HBO decides to make a second season of Watchmen, Damon Lindelof likely won’t be a part of it. It’s something the writer has mentioned time and time again and now, he’s revealed some insight as to why he wants to distance himself from the property. In a recent chat with Collider, the LOST alumnus says it’s someone else’s turn to take over the series.

“It’s not even about being tapped out, it’s more about me wanting to honor what Watchmen was before I became a part of it,” Lindelof said. “The legacy of Watchmen is Alan [Moore] and Dave [Gibbons] created it and it sat for 30 years, obviously Zack [Snyder] made his movie which was a pretty canonical adaptation of the 12 issues, and then we made our season of television. That was my turn.”

He added, “I got in the middle of the dance floor for a minute and got to do my move, but then you retreat to the edge of the circle and it’s someone else’s turn to dance.”

Lindelof’s take on the beloved DC Comics property was a hit with fans and critics alike as it still holds a near-perfect rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The scribe’s response echoes the sentiment he held earlier this year with ComicBook.com’s JK Schmidt.

“No. I’m not sick of being asked the question. It’s immensely flattering to be in a position where people want more,” Lindelof explained. “I’ve been on the other side of that coin where it’s like, ‘You went on for way too long.’ It’s almost impossible to get the porridge just right. But I think to your point is just sort of unless you’ve got the right idea, unless you’re compelled to do it, unless you’re compelled to say something new, I don’t think that you should do it just because you did it once successfully.”

Lindelof continued, “I do take what Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons said to heart, which is they designed the original Watchmen to be those 12 issues. They didn’t really want to do any more. I think that Zack [Snyder] did a really good job of adapting those 12 issues into the movie. Then we did our nine episodes. It took 30 years to kind of justify a continuation of Watchmen. Hopefully, it won’t take 30 more. I really do think that there should be more Watchmen and soon. I just don’t think that I should be the one doing it unless I’m like, ‘I know exactly how to do so.’”

Watchmen is streaming on HBO Max.