Since leaving office, former President Barack Obama has made a habit of putting out his reviews on culture and as part of a list shared to Twitter of his favorite films of 2019, Obama named Watchmen as one of three series he considers to be “as powerful as movies,” with the other two being Fleabag and Unbelievable.
Obama’s praise for the Damon Lindelof-produced HBO show furthers the acclaim it’s received this year for adapting and moving forward Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1980s graphic novel to the present And while we don’t get a more detailed review from the former President, it’s fair to say that the series had to have made a major impression on him to be considered within a movie list for the year.
The show has so far garnered widespread praise for its mixture of dynamic storytelling, powerful lead performances and storylines exploring the history of racial oppression in the United States. Kevin Smith, although not quite as influential as Obama, even went so far as to name Watchmen as the best thing of 2019.
In terms of his movies list, you can see Obama’s picks in the Tweet below, which includes familiar critical hits such as Little Women and Marriage Story, as well as Netflix’s The Irishman and other awards-worthy titles.
Next up are my favorite movies and TV shows of 2019. Of course, there’s also American Factory, a film from our own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. Here’s the full list: pic.twitter.com/PEcgwotcxm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2019
Reactions to Obama’s choices include a surprising number of recommendations of Netflix’s Anne with an E, as well as acknowledgement of his taste in choosing Watchmen:
Update: Watchmen is as good as everyone says. Thanks Obama
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) December 30, 2019
Obama loves Watchmen. Well truly never know how good we had it https://t.co/2zAUTQGOQN
— Matt Cohen (@CamelToad) December 29, 2019
Barack Obama Lists 'Watchmen' As One Of His Favorite Shows Of 2019
Thanks for watching @watchmen, @BarackObama!#WatchmenHBO #Watchmen https://t.co/iyT1lqh52a— Frances Fisher (@Frances_Fisher) December 29, 2019
Here’s hoping that the Obama bump could help get Watchmen out to even more viewers, and that the extra attention may persuade Lindelof and co. to commit to a second year of the series. Based on recent comments, Lindelof has hinted that the show could return using an anthology format, which would allow the producers to broaden the scope of the storylines explored so far. In addition, he cites the work done by The Wire in focusing on a different aspect of its world to tell a larger story as something that might suit Watchmen‘s narrative ambitions.
What do you think of Obama singling out Watchmen for special praise, though, and how does his 2019 list compare to your own choices? As always, let us know in the comments section down below.
