Why Nobody Is Watching The Watchmen

Sadly, it appears as though nigh universal acclaim hasn't been enough to endear Watchmen to audiences. According to Showbuzz (via Headline Planet), the show's most recent episode "set a new TV viewership low". Now it's important to remember that HBO gains a lot of its numbers from streaming services (which aren't counted here), and that Watchmen had been experiencing an uptick in numbers in the previous weeks, but this is still concerning - if not a little unsurprising, given the legacy of the comic.

Adaptations of Watchmen have developed a reputation for being exploitative and divisive, to the point where even those outside of hardcore comics circles are aware of the controversy. While that's not enough to explain why audiences appear to have cooled on the series, it does go some way in illustrating the gravity of the source material Lindelof and co. are playing with, and why it was always going to be met with opposition from the off. Factor that in with the saturation of superhero fiction on screen, and, even while Watchmen itself is clearly a unique product, it's easy to understand why audiences haven't been won over yet.

In the way of clear, definitive answers as to why viewership is declining? That's too difficult to say. In fact, it's somewhat baffling. Despite potential confusion as to Watchmen's premise (the title doesn't clearly define whether it's a sequel or something else), the series is truly phenomenal, and while sequels to Moore and Gibbons' comic continue to divide fans, this particular one demands everyone's attention.

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Are you watching Watchmen? What did you think of the last episode? Let us know in the comments below!