'The Watcher' Season 2 adds 'Riverdale' star as Netflix announces four new cast members

Netflix is keeping the newcomers’ roles under wraps as the Brannocks’ story continues in Season 2.
(L) Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan in 'Riverdale'; (R) Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale in 'The Watcher' (Cover Image Source: Netflix Tudum)
(L) Madelaine Petsch and Vanessa Morgan in 'Riverdale'; (R) Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale in 'The Watcher' (Cover Image Source: Netflix Tudum)

The Brannocks have plenty of reasons to be wary of unfamiliar faces. After a season of threatening letters and questions about their neighbors, the family is returning for 'The Watcher' Season 2. And the cast is growing along with the mystery. Netflix has announced four newcomers, including a familiar face from 'Riverdale' that viewers will recognize.

Madelaine Petsch, who played Cheryl Blossom in 'Riverdale,' is joining the Netflix thriller. Joining Petsch are Evan Adams, Owen Painter and Quintessa Swindell. All four will be series regulars. Their character names and roles have not yet been revealed.

(L-R) Madelaine Petsch, Quintessa Swindell, Owen Painter and Evan Adams join 'The Watcher' Season 2 (Image Source: Petsch and Painter: Netflix Tudum; Swindell: DC Films; Adams: Instagram | @evanadams_official)

Petsch’s credits also include 'The Strangers' and 'American Horror Story.' Adams joins with credits in 'I Am Your Driver' and 'Valley of the Shadow.' Painter’s previous work includes 'The Shards' and 'Wednesday,' adding another familiar face to Netflix's lineup. Swindell, meanwhile, has appeared in 'Prime Target' and 'Black Adam.' Beyond those casting announcements, Netflix has offered no details about what brings their characters to Westfield, New Jersey.

They join several actors returning from the first season. Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale will be back as Nora and Dean Brannock, with Isabel Gravitt reprising her role as their daughter Ellie. Margo Martindale also returns as Maureen ‘Mo.’ Jennifer Coolidge is coming back as Karen Calhoun, the real estate agent who sold the Brannocks their home. Coolidge’s return was announced on October 8, ahead of this latest casting update.

(L-R) Jennifer Coolidge, Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale in a still from 'The Watcher' (Image Source: Netflix Tudum)

Netflix says the second season picks up the Brannocks’ story after the first season’s unresolved ending. Further plot details have not been announced, including how the newcomers fit into that continuation. The series draws from Reeves Wiedeman’s New York Magazine article, 'The Haunting of a Dream House.' As Netflix notes, the real-life case remains unsolved. The first season premiered in October 2022 and spent five weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10 English TV list, reaching the Top 10 in more than 90 countries.

Nearly four years after the first season premiered, Season 2 is now in production in New York. Filming is scheduled in New York this fall. Ian Brennan returns as showrunner and will executive produce alongside co-creator Ryan Murphy, Watts, and others. Netflix has not announced a premiere date, so viewers will have to wait for another update on when the Brannocks return. The first season is available to stream on Netflix.

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