January 30 (2023-01-30) – March 27, 2023 (2023-03-27)
The Watchful Eye is an American dramamysterythriller television series created by Julie Durk that aired from January 30 to March 27, 2023, on Freeform.[1][2] In June 2023, the series was cancelled after one season.[3]
Cast and characters
Main
Mariel Molino as Elena Santos, a recently hired live-in nanny who moves into The Greybourne
Warren Christie as Matthew Ward,[4] a wealthy architect who recently lost his wife
Amy Acker as Tory Ayres,[4] Matthew's sister-in-law
Jon Ecker as Scott Macedo,[4] Elena's scheming secret boyfriend who is a detective
Aliyah Royale as Ginny Welles,[4] Elena's new friend who is a nanny at The Greybourne
Lex Lumpkin as Elliot Schwartz,[4] a teenager who lives in The Greybourne that becomes friends with Elena
Henry Joseph Samiri as Jasper Ward,[4] Matthew's young son who recently lost his mother
Kelly Bishop as Mrs. Ivey, a longtime resident at The Greybourne and the aunt of Matthew's wife
Recurring
Grace Kaufman as Bennet Ayres, Tory's eldest stepdaughter
Christopher Redman as Dick Ayres, Tory's husband who is a doctor
Megan Best as Darcy Ayres, Tory's youngest stepdaughter
Baraka Rahmani as Alex Toubassy, one of Elena's nanny friends
Clare Filipow as Kim Stewart, another nanny friend of Elena's
Emily Tennant as Allie Ward, Matthew's deceased wife
Lachlan Quarmby as James Gianfranco, a nanny who is a friend of Ginny's
In addition, Elyse Maloway co-stars as Jocelyn Morrow, a nanny who worked for Iris and Alistair Greybourne.
Production
Development
On September 13, 2021, Freeform gave the series a pilot order.[5] On June 30, 2022, The Watchful Eye was picked up to series by Freeform. The series is created by Julie Durk and executive produced by Emily Fox, Ryan Seacrest, Nina Wass, Andrea Shay, and Jeffrey Reiner.[1] Fox also serves as the showrunner. Reiner directed the pilot. Ryan Seacrest Productions and ABC Signature are producing the series.[6] On July 15, 2022, René G. Boscio was hired as the composer for the series.[7] On June 30, 2023, Freeform cancelled the series after one season.[3]
Casting
Upon the pilot order announcement, Andrea Londo, Warren Christie, Kelly Bishop, Amy Acker, Jon Ecker, Lex Lumpkin, Henry Joseph Samiri, and Aliyah Royale were cast to star.[5] On June 30, 2022, it was reported that Mariel Molino replaced Londo in the lead role who was cast in the pilot.[1]
Filming
Filming for the series began April 26, 2022 and concluded on September 1, 2022, in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.[8]
The Watchful Eye premiered on Freeform on January 30, 2023, with two new episodes.[2] It also simulcasted the two-episode premiere on ABC Spark in Canada the same day.[19] The series later became available to stream on Hulu.[20] The series was removed on Hulu on July 1, 2023.[3]
Reception
Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 67% approval rating with an average rating of 5.5/10, based on 6 critic reviews.[21]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 57 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[22]
Judy Berman of Time stated, "The Watchful Eye has no highbrow aspirations. It's just a solidly built thriller, with a smartly assembled cast of characters and well-executed plot beats, whose brisk pace guarantees a consistently exhilarating watch. At a time when so many shows reach for prestige signifiers that exceed their grasp, that lack of pretense is as refreshing as it is fun."[23] Anna Govert of Paste gave the show a grade of 8.4 out of 10, writing, "With a compelling cast of characters and an unending swath of secrets to uncover, The Watchful Eye is instantly addictive, and has all the potential to become your next TV obsession. As the walls begin to close in around Elena, it'The Watchful Eye absolutely worth keeping an eye out for."[24]
Ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of The Watchful Eye
