Regina King is the true hero of this HBO limited series, adapted from the DC Comics graphic novels of the same name. Though Watchmen is set in a present-day alternate universe, it’s based on the true horrors of the Tulsa Race Massacre that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921, in which white supremacists targeted an area of town known as Black Wall Street for its thriving Black-owned businesses. Unlike in reality, the descendants of the massacre receive reparations, leaving resentment amongst the white supremacist group known as the Seventh Kavalry. King is a masked vigilante on a mission to put an end to the group’s pattern of racial violence. Watchmen also stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, and Jean Smart as their characters must confront their own ethics in ways they’ve never had to before.. This nine-episode series is a masterclass in rich, nuanced storytelling about the traumas that wounds inflicted from racism hold — and the inherited pain that ensues if not addressed head-on. With the resurfacing of white nationalism and erasure of historical facts on federal and state levels, this prescient show is absolutely worth a rewatch today. Stream now on HBO Max.
