What Happened to The Watcher Season 2 at Netflix? Why The Show Likely Isn’t Returning Anymore…

Rewind to 2022, when Ryan Murphy delivered two major hits for Netflix: DAHMER, which went on to launch the Monster anthology franchise, and The Watcher. Both series were breakout successes and marked a turning point in Murphy’s output deal with Netflix, which, up until then, had produced only a handful of modest titles with limited impact.

Both of these shows were different, though. They were hits! They were more akin to what made Murphy such a prolific creator at Disney, and boy, did they deliver. DAHMER remains in the all-time most-watched list while The Watcher has fallen out in recent years, but it is still a worthy accomplishment. Celebrating those big launches, both shows received renewal orders, with the former getting two seasons and the latter just a season 2 renewal. There was some skepticism about a renewal for The Watcher at the time, given that the first season adapts in full the true story that the show is based on, but nevertheless, it was moving forward.

At the time of renewal, Bela Bajaria, then Head of Global TV at Netflix, said, “Audiences can’t take their eyes off Monster and The Watcher. The creative team of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan on Monster, along with Eric Newman on The Watcher, are masterful storytellers who captivated audiences all over the world. The back-to-back force of these two series is due to Ryan’s distinct original voice, which created cultural sensations, and we are thrilled to continue telling stories in the Monster and Watcher universes.”

As of the time of publishing, though, we’re now 893 days on without a season 2… So what happened?

Most of the development work on The Watcher was expected to take place in 2023, with production likely to begin that year or sometime in 2024. However, a number of factors made that difficult — namely, the Hollywood strikes and Ryan Murphy’s return to Disney.

The strikes impacted a significant portion of Netflix’s slate, leading to some quiet cancellations and delays across all US projects. Then, in the middle of 2023, it was announced that Ryan Murphy would exit his lucrative Netflix deal, which he had been tied to for five years, and return to Disney. While there were still plans to proceed with Monster season 2, which was eventually released in 2024 after production was delayed from 2023, we didn’t receive any definitive updates on the status of The Watcher throughout 2023.

2024 didn’t have any better news either. Ryan Murphy very early in the year confirmed that he had seven shows coming out that year, and The Watcher was not among them. There were several statements that came out from people tied to the show that weren’t particularly definitive about its status (see below), and the series was missing from the 2024 slate.

Cr. Eric Liebowitz/Netflix © 2022

Now, in 2025, the situation remains the same. The Watcher was a complete no-show during the Next on Netflix 2025 presentation, and despite keeping our ears to the ground, there has been no mention of the title in any recent development grids or casting sheets. Given the time that’s passed, it’s also expected that the original cast are no longer contractually tied to the project, meaning that everything would have to start again.

What has Netflix and the cast or crew said about The Watcher season 2?

Naomi Watts went on the record in January 2024 to say that she had no idea what happened to The Watcher season 2, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I know they said yes to the next series, but I haven’t heard anything more.” Watts then had another non-update later that year, speaking again with the same outlet, saying, “I don’t have one, if there is one. I wish I could. It was so fun, right? I don’t have an update, I’m afraid.”

Around the same time of that first quote, executive producer on the project, Eric Newman, told Radio Times, “I can say nothing other than we’re very excited about the prospect of another season of The Watcher. That’s all I can say. I’d love to say more, but I cannot. And certainly, given that that’s a different partnership, I would be speaking without my partners present. So next time, [when] we’re all in a room together with Ryan [Murphy] and Ian [Brennan], we can talk about The Watcher.

The last mention we got about the show officially from anyone at Netflix was in an interview conducted with Variety with co-CEO Ted Sarandos. During the discussion, Ryan Murphy’s prolific Netflix deal was brought up, and they asked him to reflect on that. “He made great shows with us,” Sarandos says, adding, “In general, I would say he had enormous commitments to 20th Century and his old deal that kept us from really realizing its potential. No one really had a lock on Ryan Murphy. I’m super pleased with The Watcher, and the Monster series has been phenomenal. I was just out to visit them, shooting the Ed Gein series, and the performances are insane. It’s what Ryan does so uniquely. There was never any animosity or hurt feelings, and I will continue to work with him.”

Perhaps it’s reading too much into it, but my interpretation is that ‘The Watcher’ is very much in the past tense, and all eyes are on the one remaining Ryan Murphy project: Monster: Ed Gein, due out in late 2025, starring Charlie Hunnam. Whether Monster continues beyond that season is unclear.

Images: Eric Liebowitz/Netflix

The only other positive signal we’ve had in recent times is TUDUM updating its “ending explained” article back in May 2024… although whether that was due to anything in particular or just to boost its SEO rating. Given that absolutely nothing in the article changed, I’m going with the latter.

So, what’s the takeaway? While The Watcher hasn’t been officially canceled, it’s far from active development. At best, it’s sitting in limbo. A 2025 release is firmly off the table—if it ever sees the light of day at all.

Of course, two other Ryan Murphy series at Netflix have had a similar fate. The Politician ran out its two-season upfront order before going quiet, and Ratched got renewed yet never came to light with a chance fan encounter with the central star of the show confirming it would not be returning. That’s not to mention the slew of other projects that were announced and not proceeded with. That includes a Marlene Dietrich series, Outfielder, The Legend of Georgia McBride, and A Chorus Line.

Are you disappointed that The Watcher looks to be in permanent limbo? Let us know in the comments down below.