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HBO’s Watchmen TV Series Images Assemble A Masked Police Force
HBO’s upcoming Watchmen TV series gets weirder and weirder with a series of Instagram videos that show the yellow-masked police officer isn’t just one man, but an entire police force. There’s been a great deal of speculation surrounding Damon Lindelof’s continuation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s seminal ‘80s comic book, and that speculation has only grown following the small but curiously colored glimpses the premium cabler has offered up via social media.
Several details from Lindelof’s plan for the alternate reality storyline have come to light thanks to the showrunner himself, casting details, and some leaked set photos. But, interestingly, enough, official images the network has presented so far are much more compelling and mysterious. With the series set to take place in the present day and offer up a reflection of the modern political climate, it’s perhaps no surprise that Watchmen is leaning into its depiction of what seemingly amounts to law and order in this world, with a potential nod to the influence of Rorshach. Whether that proves true or not remains to be seen, but the new images certainly add fuel to that particular fire.
If the first image of the cop in the yellow mask wasn’t weird enough for you, Watchmen’s newest images offer a more reasons to go “hrm?” Case in point: the shot of the cop walking in front of a squad car offers a better look at the seeming normalcy of the uniform. And the notion that this is indeed a uniform (and not a superhero costume) gets reinforced by the shot of an entire squad of “Watchmen,” all wearing the same yellow mask along with their official blues.
If nothing else, these photos offer some early world building for the new series and give potential viewers something to chew on while they wait for a trailer or images that are a little more substantial. There’s plenty to hypothesize about here, and no doubt the Internet Speculation Machine is already up and running with plenty of fan theories as to what it all means, and why, exactly, these cops are decked out in yellow masks.
Moreover, these images point to HBO’s marketing plan for the new series, one that clearly borrows from Lindelof’s past as co-showrunner of Lost. By focusing on the show’s mysterious plot details, as well as rabid fan curiosity, Watchmen could generate a considerable amount of pre-air buzz with just a few occasional Instagram posts over the next few months. It’s unlikely that the network will stick to social media alone, but for now these small and enticing glimpses into the world of Watchmen will have to do.
Watchmen is expected to air on HBO sometime in 2019.
