Ryan Murphy’s upcoming Netflix series The Watcher is set to land on the streamer next month, following hot on the heels of his latest true crime dramatisation, Dahmer.
The limited series centres on a wealthy family who become the targets of a mysterious stalker who calls themselves ‘the Watcher’ when they move into their supposed dream home.
Much like Dahmer, The Watcher features a stellar cast that includes includes Bobby Cannavale (Blonde), Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive) and Margo Martindale (August: Osage County). A trailer has already been released, teasing what’s to come for their characters.
And like Dahmer, the series is inspired by true events. Want to know the full story behind The Watcher? Read on to find out.
What is the true story behind The Watcher on Netflix?
The Watcher is inspired by the events detailed in a New York Magazine/The Cut article by Reeves Wiedeman, first published in 2018. It tells the true story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, a couple who in 2014 bought 657 Boulevard, a sprawling house in the idyllic New Jersey suburb of Westfield. They’d hoped it would become their dream home, but as renovation work on the $1.3 million property began ahead of them moving in, they received a disturbing letter addressed to ‘The New Owner’.
The letter’s sender identified themselves as the Watcher, and claimed to be the house’s watcher ahead of its “second coming”. The Broadduses shared the content of the letters with The Cut, with the first one reading: “657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming.
“My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out.”
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/09/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413" "\"\"")
The Watcher also made references to the couple’s children and asked them to fill the house with “young blood”.
“You have children. I have seen them. So far I think there are three that I have counted,” they wrote.
The Broadduses went to the police and were advised not to share the letters’ contents with their neighbours, as police believed the most likely scenario was that one of them had sent it. An investigation led them to suspect one neighbour in particular, Michael Langford, due to the vantage point of his family’s home, and that his family was thought to be eccentric.
He was eventually cleared as a suspect, and the Broadduses hired their own private detective to investigate the neighbourhood. They received a total of three letters, with the second one identifying their children by name and nickname, and containing details they claim could have only been noted by someone who had been inside the home or extremely close to it.
As they continued their search for the Watcher, the Broadduses found out the previous owners, the Woods, had also received a letter just before they moved out, but had no trouble in the 23 years they had lived in the house before then.
![""]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2022/09/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C371" "\"\"")
The Broadduses, who didn’t actually move into the home but decided to rent it out instead, went on to attempt to sue the Wood family for not disclosing that they had received a letter, but the case was later dismissed. By then, however, news of the Watcher had spread across the neighbourhood and beyond.
Many theories emerged, with sites such as Reddit claiming the Watcher must live within the house’s walls, and others, including some Westfield residents, suggesting the Broadduses had sent the letters to themselves in an attempt to recoup financial losses after experiencing buyer’s remorse.
They eventually sold the house in 2019, when it was bought for $400,000 less than the Broadduses paid for it.
Despite several investigations taking place, both by police and former FBI agents hired by the Broadusses, the Watcher was never found and continues to be unidentified to this date.
Netflix has made some changes to the creepy story, including changing the Broadduses names and surnames. In the series, they also only have two children, and they appear to be older than the Broadduses’ were when they first bought the house. We’ll have to wait until the programme airs to find out whether it answers the question of who the Watcher is, or whether their identity also remains unsolved.
The Watcher lands on Netflix on 13th October 2022 at 8am BST. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.