Parents' Guide to The Watcher

By now, viewers know to expect wild plot twists from Ryan Murphy, though this series' true crime connection anchors them in the non-supernatural realm: real-people villains instead of ghosts. But lest you be mistaken that The Watcher is some kind of sober exercise in historical truth-telling, let's examine the characters who might be responsible for the Brannocks' creepy correspondence: The angry older neighbors who dress in matching workout suits and sit outside in lawn chairs watching the Brannocks through binoculars? The elderly historical society doyenne with the intellectually challenged brother who's obsessed with the Brannocks' house? The overly friendly realtor who finds one excuse after another to stop by and ask intrusive questions?

It's a lot of surprising extra for a story based on a real one, and though it's fun, it also verges on campy. Some viewers will probably find it ridiculous, others will be delighted with the kitschy brain candy, the visuals of the Brannock family always clad in shades of beige and oatmeal, and the fantastic cast with its embarrassment of riches. Jennifer Coolidge, reliably great, is surprisingly effective in a role far from her usual comic ones, and horror icon Mia Farrow is wonderful too in her smaller role as an alarming neighbor who cares more about the house's dumbwaiter and ancient oak trees than its inhabitants.