One of the most surprising, fascinating, and engaging shows of 2019 – Watchmen will be free to stream on HBO from June 19 to 21, along with a line-up of other titles that highlight Black experiences and voices.
HBO is highlighting media that explores Black experiences and comes from Black creators, in support of the national protests against Systemic Racism. As made clear by the availability date, it’s also in honour of Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the day Union army general Gordon Granger read orders to the people of Texas, proclaiming all slaves there were now free. With this Watchmen announcement, it is joining several other companies showing support for Juneteenth and the Black Lives Matter movement with content offerings.
Watchmen takes place in an alternate reality where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws and is a sequel of sorts for the comic series of the same name. The movie has already made its mark on education, highlighting darker parts of U.S. history. It’s also a critically beloved series and has won a prestigious Peabody Award, which honours excellence in media.
Watchmen will be available for free on HBO.com and On Demand, from Juneteenth (Friday) to Sunday. HBO states they are “proud to offer all nine episodes for free of this timely, poignant series that explores the legacy of systemic racism in America.” The channel will also air a marathon of the whole season on both HBO and HBO Latino, starting at 1:00 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, June 19. Watchmen stars Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, and Louis Gossett Jr., among others.
In addition to Watchmen, HBO has highlighted a number of other films and television episodes on the platform to offer free as “an extension of the network’s content offering highlighting Black experiences, voices, and storytellers.”
Other titles, offered on HBO.com until July 2, include:
I May Destroy You, The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Treme, True Detective, The Shop: Uninterrupted, We’re Here, Random Acts of Flyness, Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas, along with many other titles are all yours to enjoy for free.
