TV Show review
Review basis: 1 season · through December 15, 2019
October 20, 2019 · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The 2019 HBO limited series continues the alternate-history world of the 1986 graphic novel. It follows Black police detective Angela Abar, known as Sister Night, as she investigates murders in Tulsa linked to a white supremacist group called the Seventh Kavalry. The story centers on the lasting impact of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, generational racial trauma, and Doctor Manhattan's return, with police forced to hide their identities after anti-cop attacks. Racism, white supremacy, and institutional racial injustice form the main focus, shown through Black protagonists, explicit dialogue about systemic problems, and story choices that tie heroism directly to Black ancestry and identity.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Watchmen.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent Black lead Regina King as Sister Night and key supporting roles tied to racial ancestry; Hooded Justice race-swapped to Black for the trauma plot; heavy audience-visible emphasis on Black perspectives and identity in a story built around racial conflict.
Woke political dialogue
Frequent explicit discussions of systemic racism, police brutality, white supremacy, reparations, and generational injustice; characters debate these as central to American life and power structures.
Identity-driven story themes
Core narrative follows Black family legacy from the Tulsa massacre, trauma passed through generations, and Black heroism defined against white supremacists; ancestry and racial identity drive character arcs and plot twists.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Strong modern framing of American institutions (police, history, law enforcement) as complicit in racial oppression and white supremacy; presents traditional power and vigilante justice through a lens of systemic racial failure rather than neutral conflict.
Woke character or canon changes
Major reinterpretations for racial themes, including Hooded Justice as Black ancestor and Rorschach's symbol co-opted by white supremacists; changes prioritize present-day identity storytelling over original comic logic.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Clear, widespread right-leaning and fan complaints of woke propaganda, race-baiting, SJW agenda, and identity politics overriding the source material; review bombing and social media targeted the racial focus specifically.
Creator track record context
Key creatives including Lindelof (pushed race as central), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (race-centric plays), Cord Jefferson (race and media identity work), Stacy Osei-Kuffour (societal/race themes), and Victoria Thomas (diverse casting advocacy) show a pattern of identity and race engagement; original creators Moore and Gibbons score much lower.
Production
