A superhero series led by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has found renewed success on streaming. This comes after Abdul-Mateen II’s most recent superhero series, Wonder Man, was canceled by Disney+ after an initial renewal for the sophomore season.
Watchmen is back on HBO Max’s streaming charts
The 2019 limited series Watchmen has garnered enough audience in recent days to rank among the top ten TV shows on HBO Max as of August 25, 2026, according to FlixPatrol. The other entries on the list were Lanterns, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, House of the Dragon, Hard Knocks, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Monsters of God, Rick and Morty, Real Time with Bill Maher, and President Curtis.
Watchmen originally premiered on HBO on October 20, 2019, and ran for one season, airing nine episodes until December 15, 2019. It serves as a sequel to the eponymous comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Abdul-Mateen II portrays Cal Abar, who later turns out to be a form of Jonathan Osterman/Doctor Manhattan. The cast also includes Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night, Don Johnson as Judd Crawford, and Tim Blake Nelson as Wade Tillman/Looking Glass.
Damon Lindelof, who later developed the DCU series Lanterns, created Watchmen. The story takes place 34 years after the events of the comics and revolves around King as she investigates the murder of her friend, who is also the chief of police. In the backdrop, racial tension simmers in present-day Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Watchmen has an incredible 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Luke Y. Thompson of SuperHeroHype was one of the critics who gave the show a positive review. “Showrunner Damon Lindelof has pulled off a thermodynamic miracle, not unlike turning lead into gold,” Thompson shared.
Notably, as of August 26, Watchmen has lost its place on the aforementioned top-10 list.
