Posted in: HBO, streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: awards, bleeding cool, damon lindelof, Emmys, HBO, jean smart, jeremy irons, Jovan Adepo, Louis Gossett Jr., Regina King, Watchmen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Watchmen: Damon Lindelof Responds to HBO Series' 26 Emmy Nominations

Before we move on with a look at series creator Damon Lindelof's reaction to his "remix" pseudo-sequel to The-Writer-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, David Gibbons, and John Higgins' comic book classic walking away with 26 Emmy nominations on Thursday morning, we here at BCTV just need to take care of something first. Feels like we got something stuck in our throats…wait…hold on… HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!  As we were saying, Lindelof's ground-breaking series not only took the title for most nominations, but saw those nods include the series overall for Outstanding Drama Series, individual acting recognition for Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jovan Adepo, Louis Gossett Jr., and Jean Smart, and many more.

Speaking with EW after the nominations were announced, Lindelof admitted that he was surprised by the number of nominations it received:

The honest answer is yes. I expect nothing in this day and age, and I think that it's hard to put too much stock and invest in award shows. But at the same time, we all have to acknowledge that they mean something because it's our peers. I didn't really realize how much I cared until my heart started racing. The first nomination that I saw them read off was Jeremy Irons, and my wife and I both shrieked out loud. It was all great news from there. The best part of it is not how many nominations, but it's all these people that I worked with over the course of two years, my creative partners, whether they worked in the camera department or the sound mixing or they were composing the score or doing the costumes.

Obviously there's a disproportionate amount of attention that's put on the storytelling and the acting, but for so many people who put so many long hours and weekends into this, they really cared about this show. But we haven't made an episode of Watchmen in a year now. So the most wonderful part of the day is just having the excuse to call other humans up and not say, "How are you doing in the midst of a pandemic?" But to actually say, "Hey, congrats on this incredible work that you did." It's really been wonderful.

While equally appreciative of every nomination the series received, Lindelof was still able to reveal what two of the nominations meant to him personally: "You know, Lou Gossett Jr. getting nominated was really emotionally impactful just because I've worshiped him from afar as just a lover of cinema and storytelling since I was a kid. He bowled me over, and he did such incredible work. And then like Liza Richardson, who was our music supervisor, who worked on The Leftovers. I really feel like just the music supervision is an art form, and it was just great to see her sort of singled out and recognized for that."

As for the idea of there being more Watchmen in his future, it doesn't sound like Lindelof's budged much from the position he's held since the series ended. Basically, he's told his story and now he welcomes others to come into the universe and tell their stories: "I hope there's more Watchmen. It's one of those rare comic books that transcends what people think when you say "comics." The idea can hold real cultural conversations or deep dives into American history, or criticisms of, of law and order — those things are evergreen. I really feel like that space is now open for others to come and play in, and I really look forward to what they do with it.

Bleeding Cool's Watchmen Reviews: A Look-Back

Bleeding Cool praised how powerful the Nicole Kassell (Castle Rock)-directed series premiere "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice" was (review here), while "Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship" kept the momentum going by deepening the conspiracies at play (review here). Jean Smart's Agent Laurie Blake took center stage in "She Was Killed by Space Junk", elevating the tension while serving as "devil's advocate" (review here).

"If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own" (review here), introduced us to Lady Trieu (Hong Chau), saw Angela (Regina King) look to Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson) for help when things started hitting too close to home and revealed how Adrian (Jeremy Irons) "trains" new servants as his escape attempts continued We learned Wade Tillman aka Looking Glass' "origin story" (and possibly his final days) in "Little Fear of Lightning" (our review here), as Agent Blake places Angela under arrest but not before she goes "nostalgic".

Angela comes to understand her true past and the truth about "This Extraordinary Being" Will (Louis Gossett Jr. – review here), a truth that starts with the formation of the Minutemen. "An Almost Religious Awe" (our review here) brought with it the major reveal that Dr. Manhattan has been with us the entire time, and he's a major part of the Seventh Kalvary's plan.

With the penultimate episode "A God Walks into Abar" (review here), we were offered a look back at the seeds of Angela and "Cal's" tragic (and apocalyptic) love story – the heart of our series. Which brought us to season/series finale "See How They Fly", where the machinations of the Seventh Kalvary, Sen. Keene, Lady Trieu, "Calhattan", Adrian, Angela, and Agent Laurie come to a head – as the world of Lindelof's Watchmen comes to an end… and to a beginning (review here).

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