Owning your own home is the American dream, or so we’ve been told. The reality is that it can be extremely difficult to buy your own home within the current housing market — and implied threats from would-be stalkers are not going to help make that any more bearable. Next month, Netflix is debuting a new series called The Watcher, and if the first trailer gives you American Horror Story vibes, it’s probably because series creator Ryan Murphy works on both shows. But there’s nothing supernatural in play here — instead, it’s just good old-fashioned fear and paranoia.
Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale are headlining the show as Nora and Dean Brannock, a couple who believe that they’ve finally got a dream house of their own. It’s perfect for their family, and it has everything they think they wanted. Unfortunately, the house has a stalker who calls themself The Watcher. And now, The Watcher is stalking the Brannocks as well with a series of increasingly bizarre and menacing messages.
The Brannocks choose to stay in their home despite The Watcher’s constant harassment. But the worst part is the terror that The Watcher inspires. They can’t trust any of their neighbors, and potential friends become enemies simply because the Brannocks can no longer accept anyone at face value. All they have is each other, and even that may not be enough to pull them through this crisis.
Mia Farrow also stars in the series as Pearl, with Noma Dumezweni as Theodora, Richard Kind as Mitch, Terry Kinney as Jasper, Margo Martindale as Mo, and Jennifer Coolidge as Karen Calhoun. Additionally, Joe Mantello will appear in the show alongside a supporting cast that includes Christopher McDonald, Michael Nouri, Isabel Gravitt, Henry Hunter Hall, and Luke David Blumm.
Murphy and Ian Brennan developed the series based on the New York Magazine article by Reeves Wiedeman. All seven episodes will premiere October 13 on Netflix.
