watcher netflix© Photo: Netflix

Netflix's The Watcher: Everything you need to know - release date, cast, more

Will you be watching the series? 

TV and film writer
September 27, 2022

Netflix's The Watcher is an upcoming thriller series which tells the story of an anonymous "watcher" who obsessively stalks a family in their New Jersey home. 

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The new drama, which is based on a real-life case, is the latest project from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, the same team behind the chilling true crime drama, Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Find out everything you need to know about the limited series here, including when it arrives on Netflix…

WATCH: The new series arrives on 13 October

What is The Watcher about? 

The Watcher is an upcoming limited series which follows married couple Dean and Nora Brannock, who move into their dream home in a seemingly perfect neighbourhood in New Jersey. However, after they start receiving mysterious letters from an anonymous "watcher", they begin to think that they may have made a mistake. 

A synopsis from Netflix reads: "Dean (Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Watts) just purchased their dream home in the idyllic suburb of Westfield, New Jersey, but after putting all of their savings into closing the deal they soon realise the neighbourhood is less than welcoming. 

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"There's a kooky older woman named Pearl and her brother Jasper, who sneaks into the Brannock's house and hides in their dumbwaiter. There's Karen, the realtor and an old acquaintance of Nora's, who makes them feel like they don't really belong, and nosy neighbours Mitch and Mo, who don't seem to understand property lines. 

© Photo: Netflix

 Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale lead the cast as Dean and Nora

"Their icy welcome quickly turns into a full-blown living hell when ominous letters from someone calling themselves 'The Watcher' start arriving, terrorising the Brannocks to their breaking point as the neighbourhood's sinister secrets come spilling out."

The series is inspired by a real-life family, the Broadduses, who began receiving disturbing letters after buying a house on 657 Boulevard in New Jersey suburb Westfield in 2014.

© Photo: Netflix

Jennifer Coolidge plays realtor Karen

As of today, the Watcher still hasn't been identified. The Broadduses sold their house in 2019 for $959,000 after originally purchasing it for $1.3 million.

When is The Watcher on Netflix? 

The Watcher arrives on Netflix on 13 October 2022, with all seven episodes set to land all at once. 

The Watcher cast

The series boasts a star-studded cast with King Kong star Naomi Watts and Mr. Robot's Bobby Cannavale leading the line-up as couple Dean and Nora, while The White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge plays realtor Karen.

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Luke David Blumm (The King of Staten Island) and Isabel Gravitt (Little Fires Everywhere) play the couple's children, Carter and Ellie, while a host of A-listers appear as other residents of the neighbourhood. 

© Photo: Netflix

Mia Farrow and Terry Kinney play neighbours Pearl and Jasper

Richard Kind and Margo Martindale feature as loud neighbours Mitch and Mo, Mia Farrow plays kooky resident Pearl and Terry Kinney plays her brother Jasper, who makes a habit of sneaking into Brannocks' home.

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