We Need To Talk About The Watcher

Okay, we need to talk about The Watcher. (Warning: spoilers ahead!)

Last Fall, The Watcher TOOK OVER Netflix. It was the #1 streamed show that was watched for over 273 million hours in the first two weeks alone. That’s a lot of binge watching.

Now I have to admit something, I am not a big TV watcher.

I know, I know, I can hear the screams of “What?! Really?! How!?” through my computer screen right now.

But between growing my business and raising two boys, I don’t find a ton of time for TV.

But when everyone and their mom was talking about The Watcher I had to devote a few hours and watch it myself. And wow, did I love it.

The foreboding camera shots. The creepy neighbors watching the house from their lawn chairs. The guy who shows up in the house to ride the dumbwaiter. Naomi Watts. Jennifer Coolidge! I mean, the cast just doesn’t get any better than this.

The entire time you’re watching, you’re left guessing … who is The Watcher?

Spoiler alert: if you’ve watched the series or followed the real life story, you know that The Watcher has never been identified. So after hours of the series teasing you with storyline after storyline, you’re left at the end of the show feeling disappointed. There’s no resolution! Isn’t a resolution a mainstay to a great film or TV series?

TV reviewer Deidre Molumby from Irish Independent puts it well in her review:

“What’s wrong with The Watcher is less so the acting than it is the writing, and particularly that ending, which had me almost tearing my hair out in frustration. After all the ridiculous twists and new mysteries that were arising, I wanted the satisfaction of a concrete finale. Those sprinkles of mystery after mystery arose were presented as tantalizing and sweet but only left a bitter taste.”

Here’s the thing: this isn’t new to TV or film. There’s many series that end without that much awaited payoff. It’s a trope at this point.

You know where there must be a payoff? In your media appearance.

When you go on a TV interview and your segment is “Tips for Saving Money During Holiday Shopping,” you can’t spend the segment blabbering about your favorite Christmas movies (Mine is Elf, just for the record.) You have to deliver the meat. Distill your ideas down to 4 or 5 tips and make them actionable.

The only way you’re going to be invited back as an on camera expert is if you deliver the goods you promised. You aren’t Ryan Murphy. You can’t lead on the audience and not deliver them what they came for.

If you’re wondering what it takes to create talking points and secure your chance to become a regularly featured media expert, I recommend you check out my program, The Green Room, that can transform you to a go-to media expert in just 6 weeks.