Get ready to watch The Watcher, a thriller about a watcher who watches a family who is also trying to watch them back after finding out they’re being watched. Watch! (That one was just for funsies.) Based on the true story of the Broadduses, the New Jersey family who moved into 657 Boulevard in 2014, the series turns their nightmare into “a full-blown living hell.” When the couple, played by Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts, begins to receive threatening letters from someone who calls themselves “the Watcher,” the whole vicinity seems suspicious. The ominous neighborhood is rounded out with iconic character actors such as Richard Kind, Jennifer Coolidge, Margo Martindale, and Terry Kinney, along with the icon of the “I just moved in and the neighbors are creeping me out” genre, Mia Farrow. On October 13, Murphy presents his biggest horror yet: living in New Jersey.
To prepare for the thriller, Netflix appeared to put an immersive comedy sketch on YouTube on September 9 with Jennifer Coolidge starring as a Realtor. Simply titled “657 Boulevard Open House Video Tour With Karen Calhoun,” the tour is unsettlingly normal and has a description that doesn’t hint at much beyond the sketch. “I’m Karen Calhoun, from Darren Dunn Realty, and I can’t wait for you to see what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard with yours truly!” it reads. “Located in the highly desirable community of Westfield and originally built in 1921, this historic residence has been renovated to perfection!” Is this an in-the-know parody of Selling the OC? Did they just put Coolidge in an AI generator to see what happens? It should have been and no, respectively. It was a promo for the upcoming Ryan Murphy Netflix thriller, The Watcher.
This post has been updated throughout.
