Netflix Renews ‘The Watcher’ for Season 2: Will the Show Lean on Existing Theories About the Case?
On November 7, Netflix announced that The Watcher would return for a second season. The real estate thriller has grabbed subscribers’ attention, and fans can’t help but theorize about who the watcher is. While Netflix didn’t reveal how season 2 will play out, we can’t help but wonder if the streaming service provider plans to lean into one or more of the pre-established theories connected to the real-life mystery. We’ve collected the three most popular theories about who the anonymous letter writer could be.
What is Netflix’s ‘The Watcher’ based on?
While The Watcher is the latest in a long line of true crime hits for Netflix in 2022, the true story that the series is based on is years older. The actual mystery began in 2014 and seemingly ended without a real resolution in 2018.
In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased a home in a sought-after neighborhood in Westfield, NJ. The affluent bedroom community seemed like the perfect place to raise a family. Their dream home turned into their nightmare when the Broadduses began receiving letters from an anonymous source shortly after they closed on the house. The letters became increasingly more menacing until the family opted to sell the home, at a loss, to get away from the notes. In 2018, the letters stopped.
Locals and true crime enthusiasts have theories about the identity of the watcher
The sudden reprieve from the harassment has led true crime fans to craft three different theories. One Reddit user suggested that the letter-writing campaign was nothing more than a complex case of buyer’s remorse. The user theorizes that the Broadduses may have overextended themselves when they paid over $1 million for the home at 657 Boulevard. The user argues that Derek and Maria sent themselves the letter in an attempt to renege on the hefty purchase. After all, they argued, the family sued and requested their money back and the property as a settlement for their trauma. 2018, the year the watcher stopped writing letters, was the same year the Broaddus family sold the home. According to some researchers, the sudden end to the letters seems suspicious.
While the theory that the Broadduses were the real authors has some significant supporters, not everyone agrees. Another Redditor points out that a neighbor seems like the likeliest suspect. Police spoke to him multiple times about the case. His family disagrees. A nearby neighbor, Michael Langford, would have had plenty of access to the property. As an older and somewhat eccentric gentleman, he also had the time to watch the property and pen the letters. Still, Langford didn’t appear to have any motive for the terror campaign. According to Oxygen, police do not consider the neighbor a suspect. Langford died in 2020, but renewed interest in the case, thanks to the Netflix family, has incensed his family. Some believe Langford was ill before his death. They theorize that poor health forced him to stop writing the letters.
Some fans of the series believed the unscrupulous real estate agent, played by Jennifer Coolidge, was behind the letter-writing campaign in the fictionalized version of the true crime story. The final moments of the series prove that theory wrong. Police haven’t linked a real estate agent to the crime. Still, researchers who have spent years looking into the matter believe the real estate market does factor into the situation. One local resident suggested that a competing buyer, angered by being outbid, might have sent the letters. There isn’t much concrete evidence to back up the theory. Still, it could explain why the letters stopped once the Broadduses no longer owned the property.
Netflix has not revealed what angle they will explore in season 2
While true crime fans have several theories about who the real-life watcher is, Netflix has not revealed what direction they plan on taking the fictionalized version of the story. Season 1 ended on a pretty intense cliffhanger, and fans are clamoring to see what happens next. As are we.
We are thrilled that Netflix is working on the second season of The Watcher. Unfortunately, it sounds like there will be a long wait time to learn more about the Westfield, NJ home. Netflix has not announced a release date, and season 2 is not in production yet.
