I wasn't expecting to love it this much when I first started watching. But it was just so clever, and every aspect of it, from the acting, and the direction styles, to the cinematography, and the amazing soundtrack (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross are hard to beat), was just so beautifully and precisely crafted to serve the story. The writing in this show genuinely excellent, and often multilayered in its delivery - in particular "She Was Killed By Space Junk", and "A God Walks Into Abar" are especially magnificent.

If you aren't familiar with the Watchmen universe on some level, then it's true, you'll miss some of the references and double meanings that really elevate the show. However I do also think that it's possible to watch it without any prior knowledge, as the show throws everyone into the deep end - fans and newcomers alike, and reveals the state of the world and the characters that occupy it in small increments. If there's something that the audience needs to know, you just have to have a little patience, and a healthy dose of curiosity, and trust that the writers will reveal the necessary information at the right moment. But it's worth sticking around for.

That said, it probably won't be for everyone, and there will undoubtedly be people who find some aspects of it offensive. And that's fair enough. But I will say that while the show is often unflinching in its delivery, it rarely feels gratuitous.

It's true, I'm firmly in the contingent of those who enjoy this type of story, and I'd been looking forward to watching this for a while, but the quality of Watchmen took me by surprise (and I can be quite critical of these things). The story is peculiar (sometimes downright bizarre), and delightful, and fast paced (but then also occasionally meandering), and often unsettling. But providing you like your stories a little weird, there's plenty to stick around for, and Watchmen has some of the best writing I've ever seen in television. I can't recommend it enough.