HBO Makes 'Watchmen' Free to Stream for Juneteenth Weekend

Stream the nine-episode series for free starting Friday.

In an effort to promote Black voices, HBO is making its critically-acclaimed Watchmen series free to stream this weekend. The decision comes on the eve of Juneteenth.

In a statement, HBO said the decision was "an extension of the network's content offering highlighting Black experiences, voices, and storytellers." The show stars Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jeremy Irons.

Upon its original airing, Watchmen garnered a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The series is an adaptation of the well-known graphic novel and movie. In the televised series, the story centers around the 1921 bombing of Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to Nielsen and HBO ratings, the show drew 1.6 million viewers in its nine-episode run. Between the premiere and finale, HBO said the show's digital viewership grew 31 percent.

The debut was HBO's most successful fall premiere since Westworld, and the most-watched first season of any HBO original since Big Little Lies debuted in February 2017.

Earlier this year, HBO programming chief Casey Bloys revealed the show would not return for a second season. Creator David Lindelof didn't completely rule out the show returning, but previously expressed an interest in someone else taking the reigns. "I would love to see someone who is not a white dude taking a shot at Watchmen," he said. "A woman or a person of color or both. It would be pretty wonderful to have someone at the helm that was not the traditional person at the helm of a movie or TV show."