8 Things Watchmen TV Show Must Do Differently To Zack Snyder's Film

5. Make A Genre Show First, A Comic Book One Second

The 2009 Snyder film was, while admittedly a faithful adaptation of the original graphic novel, somewhat uncanny. Snyder and co. put a great deal of effort into recreating the book (mostly) panel for panel, but that in turn led to the film feeling somewhat protracted and sterile. Things don't move as much as the camera moves around them, and while that might - on the surface at least - lend the feature a comic book feel, it isn't entirely conducive to the process of adapting an actual comic book.

Snyder certainly has his style, so it's more than likely that it won't carry over onto the upcoming TV show, but still, it's important that any adaptation really pioneers its own look. Reverence for the source material, while commendable, isn't a necessary component to create an authentic TV series; if anything it impedes it, as was the case with the 2009 film.

What the new show needs to do is just make an authentic historical drama that just so happens to have comic book elements. That method, pioneered by Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, in that they were crime dramas first and superhero films second, has really worked for a number of different superhero adaptations.

Given how Watchmen is the quintessential historical comic book drama, focusing on the genre itself and not the medium it came from would do wonders for any live action adaptation.