After announcing their debut at New York Comic Con 2019, excited fans rallied with high praise for the new Watchmen series. Regina King, Jeremey Irons, Louis Gosset Jr., Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart, and Yahya Abdul-Maten II all made the event a lot more memorable as they greeted fans in a cast interview panel on the same day. The screening of the pilot left fans giddy and begging for more, but we’ll have to wait 16 days before the epic premiere on HBO officially features.

The upcoming series explores an entirely different real world future where superheroes made a difference– but not in the way you’d imagine. Based on Alan Moore’s 1986 graphic novel, the show works with complex themes of corrupt and outlawed superheroes in political history. The dismal future sets white supremacists on the rise and leaves heroes in the shadows. 

The new show is set several years after the conclusion of the original comic, ending off with a conspiracy to drop a squid monster on Manhattan and a gamble to convince the Earth that it was under attack by space aliens. Lindelof inherited and embraced the story’s past and alt-history, incorporating it into his construction of the new and bizarre world. The opportunity presents itself to Lindelof, who aims to take risks and come up with new ideas to support the background of the original comics while also diverging into his own interpretation. 

Lindelof turned down the revival of the series in the beginning as it didn’t meet the quota for his vision, explaining to the crowd how, “[he] had so much reverence for the show.” This was partially due to his father’s influence, and Lindelof mentions a childhood where he received graphic novels at a young age. To that end, he’s willing and hoping to make the show a worthy one, announcing how he wanted to live up to the name. 

Clearly, the show is meant to tackle a lot of concerning issues, and with Lindelof’s take in mind, fans will wonder how sensitive he will get on the more pressing topics. Still, the show was made with the intent of discussing these ideas in an engaging and original way. Lindelof is apprehensive to share his work, as are fans anticipating the inevitable debut.