The Watcher: Netflix release date of drama series, trailer, cast with Naomi Watts - and is it a true story?

The Watcher is a horror drama series on Netflix inspired by a 2014 true crime in New Jersey in which a family who moved into a new neighbourhood were terrorised by a mysterious stalker. The series features a big-name cast and retells the shocking true story with some added dark twists.

The Watcher was created by longtime collaborators producer Ryan Murphy and writer Ian Brennan, who have previously worked together on. Dahmer, The Politician, Hollywood, and Scream Queens. What is the true story The Watcher is based on, whos stars in the series, and when is the release date? This is everything you need to know about The Watcher:

What is The Watcher about?

The Watcher is a drama horror series about a family, the Broadduses, who move into their dream home in American suburbia, only to find themselves the target of a mystery stalker who goes by the name The Watcher.

The Watcher sends the family a series of threatening letters, which spook them, prompting them to hire a private investigator to unmask The Watcher. The parents speak to a previous resident of their property who is still shaken. As the investigation continues, new secrets come to light, and the family learn more about their cursed property.

New residents moved into the property in 2019 and have reportedly not received any letters from The Watcher - the investigation into the letter writer is closed, even though no culprit was ever conclusively identified.

Is The Watcher based on a true story?

Yes, unfortunately The Watcher is based on a real case of a family who were terrorised by a stalker who identified themself as The Watcher. The Broaddus family were spied on and threatened by the mysterious figure, and ultimately decided to sell their home and leave the town they love.

The Watcher sent cryptic and threatening letters to their family at their home,  657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey, telling them that they were watching the property as their father had done in the 1960s and their grandfather had in the 1920s. Police investigated but failed to catch the stalker, and the family sold the property at a massive loss - roughly $400,000 less than they bought it for.

Who is in the cast of The Watcher?

• Naomi Watts as Maria Broaddus
• Bobby Cannavale as Derek Broaddus
• Luke David Blumm as Carter Brannock
• Terry Kinney as Michael
• Michael Nouri as Roger Kaplan
• Emily Juliette Murphy as Secretary
• Michael Devine as Christopher
• Yuko Torihara as Miko Kaplan
• Jennifer Coolidge as Karen Calhoun
• Mia Farrow as Pearl
• Matthew Del Negro as Darren Dunn

Is there a trailer for The Watcher?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here:

When is the release date of The Watcher?

The Watcher is a seven-part series - all episodes landed on Netflix on Thursday 13 October - all episodes are available to watch now.

Will there be a season 2 of The Watcher?

There will not be a second season of The Watcher - it was released as a limited series and was always planned to be just one season long.