In an alternative 2019, the police are masked defenders, and the attempted murder of an officer marks the resurgence of a right-wing movement.

If the measure of the success of an opening episode of a new TV show is the desire to immediately see part two, then Damon Lindelof’s continuation of the Watchmen story succeeds on every level. Wisely avoiding another attempt at filming Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore’s seminal 1986 graphic novel (Zack Snyder already attempted this to varying success in 2009), the showrunner and writer of the series premiere plays the story forwards.

The heart of the show is Regina King as Angela Abar (AKA Sister Knight) a tough as nails vigilante who is soon on the trail of the villains when a police officer is attacked. The group behind it is the Seventh Kavalry, white supremacists who are continuing the work of Rorschach.

From the terrifying opening scene depicting the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, to the awkward theatrical production of Black Oklahoma, the world building is fascinating. Police can only use guns in certain circumstances, the Kavalry are harvesting synthetic watch batteries, and the whole of society is about to explode.

King is supported by fine performances from Don Johnson as police chief Judd Crawford, Tim Blake Nelson as Wade (and Looking Glass) and Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as King’s husband, Cal Abar. But it’s her show all the way, displaying some awesome fight moves in bringing in a suspect while juggling with being a mom.

It all feels a bit distant from Watchmen, but then when Jeremy Irons turns up as Adrian Veidt, it all becomes authentic again, him celebrating a certain anniversary – the plot thickens!

Verdict: An excellent season opener that thankfully is happy to create its own identity without being a slave to its source material. I’ll be watching this avidly with great interest. 9/10

Nick Joy