This chapter will explore two works of television adaptation by Damon Lindelof: The Leftovers (HBO, 2014–17) and Watchmen (HBO, 2019). While these two serials see Lindelof develop a signature televisual aesthetic, staking an authorial claim on the adapted works, his approach to adaptation is distinct in each. In The Leftovers, Lindelof actively collaborates with the author of the preceding novel (2011), Tom Perrotta, who co-creates and writes for the television series. Conversely, in adapting Watchmen, Lindelof works against the wishes of the author of the antecedent comic series (1986–87), Alan Moore, who has publicly expressed his distaste for adaptations of his work. Lindelof’s adaptation of Watchmen reconciles his creative inclinations and Moore’s disapproval by developing the adaptation as a narrative sequel to the comic series, while also revising and extending its themes. The chapter will consider Barthes’ influential “death of the author” concept (1981), as well as subsequent scholarly considerations of authorship and interpretation, in the context of television production and contemporary culture. Examining the extent to which television showrunners can function as auteurs, and the dominant position they hold over the cultural discourse surrounding their works, will allow for questions around the construction of meaning in complex serial drama to be considered. The chapter will also investigate the capacity for serialised television adaptations to explore marginalised identities beyond those considered by their source texts. This is developed through the use of subjectivity in the second and third seasons of The Leftovers, followed by the thematic exploration of racial identity in Watchmen.