The Greatest Sci-Fi Western Saga Ever Told Is Officially Dominating Streaming Again
Lured by the brilliance of Middle Earth from an early age both in print and on screen, his palate has since expanded to other realms including Westeros, Kattegat among others. He also possesses a great appetite for the stories that emanate from the vastness of space. Even though he is no Avenger.
Obsessed with storytelling and having works of his own that have yet to make it to print, he is content to use that ability to communicate to as many as are reachable. In his spare time, he looks out for avenues where he can aid people aside from his plans to reign over this earthly realm. Yes…you heard that first here.
The hallmark of noteworthy streamers and studios is their ability to develop premium entertainment content. HBO can claim to have done so in its time, with the conversation about the best HBO series of all time sure to provoke some bold, striking opinions. Classic crime thrillers like The Sopranos and The Wire are sure to be in the mix, as will be Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa's Emmy-winning series, The Pitt. However, there is one show that can't be excluded from the conversation: the fantasy series Game of Thrones and the franchise it created. After the conclusion of the Westeros-based phenomenon in 2019, HBO was in need of an A-list show to carry the baton forward. Thankfully, the streamer already had the dystopian sci-fi western series Westworld, which premiered in 2016, waiting in the wings.
Uniquely set in a futuristic theme park, Westworld follows a world where wealthy human guests have their weirdest and wildest fantasies catered to by lifelike androids called “hosts”. As with most things, the situation begins to go downhill and soon spirals out of control when the droids gain consciousness. The rebellion against their human masters is led by Dolores Abernathy, the oldest Host on the property. Perhaps a precursor to where humanity might be headed. Soon after, a different timeline reveals the dominance of artificial intelligence in the 21st century, with sentient AI controlling human activities. Westworld quickly found a huge fanbase, with the show created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy showing great promise.
However, after the show experienced a slump in future seasons, HBO pulled the plug in 2022, despite a pre-existing agreement to have the show wrapped in five seasons. Now, as we close in on the fourth anniversary of Westworld's cancellation, the sci-fi series finds itself the subject of renewed interest on streaming services. Data obtained from FlixPatrol reveals a spike in the drama's popularity, especially on PVOD services like Apple TV. The sci-fi series arrived a decade ago and was an instant hit, with the first season of the intriguing drama offering a perfect blend of sci-fi and western genres. Currently, rated fresh at 87% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it is a testament to its strong reception.
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Unanswered Questions Remain in 'Westworld'
Series creators Nolan and Joy had long mapped out a five-season arc for Westworld, but the series unfortunately never made it that far. The series is based on Michael Crichton's 1973 movie of the same name. In its heyday, fans of the show became obsessed with uncovering the many twists and secrets baked into the plot within every season, with many feeling incomplete given how the story ended. Nolan and Joy, for their part, have clung to the hope that they mightsomeday complete their story. However, the chances of that happening at HBO are slim, especially when one considers that the series HBO removed from its library entirely, thus scrubbing it from existence except for physical copies. The sci-fi series featured big names like Evan Rachel Wood, Anthony Hopkins, Thandiwe Newton, and James Marsden. Other members of the ensemble included Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, and Tessa Thompson.
Westworld is no longer available to stream on HBO Max. However, fans can purchase physical or digital copies from online PVOD platforms. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2022
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy
- Directors
- Fred Toye, Jennifer Getzinger, Stephen Williams, Vincenzo Natali, Craig William Macneill, Anna Foerster, Craig Zobel, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Helen Shaver, Jonny Campbell, Michelle MacLaren, Neil Marshall, Nicole Kassell, Tarik Saleh, Uta Briesewitz, Lisa Joy, Meera Menon
- Writers
- Roberto Patino, Carly Wray, Ron Fitzgerald, Daniel T. Thomsen, Karrie Crouse, Wes Humphrey
Cast
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Dolores Abernathy -
Thandiwe NewtonMaeve Millay
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