In a bit of news that should be filed under “D” for “Duh”, HBO has announced that it was has renewed Westworld for a second season. This comes as a surprise to absolutely nobody, with the incredible sci-fi show garnering masses of critical acclaim and huge ratings ever since it debuted on the cable network nearly two months ago. Which obviously came as a huge to relief to HBO who its believed pumped $100 million into the show’s 10-episode first season.
Based on Michael Crichton’s 1978 movie of the same name, Westworld tells of a futuristic theme park based on the Wild West, in which realistic robots provide guests with an authentic cowboy experience. However, things start going awry when the robots – who are programmed to be as human as possible, but who have no idea that they’re robots – start to notice that something is wrong. I guess that will happen when you’re stuck in a loop in which you get shot, stabbed, or used as the world’s most advanced sex toy on a daily basis.
This new version of Westworld has taken Crichton’s concept way deeper than he ever did, digging into themes of identity and self awareness, and even providing harsh criticisms of modern video game culture and the no-stakes violent escapism it offers. And it has been incredible week in and week out, boasting not just engrossing writing and fantastic performances from an A-list cast that includes Anthony Hopkins and Geoffrey Wright, but also huge jaw-setpieces and incredible visual effects.
And unfortunately, as was revealed to THR by HBO programming president Casey Bloys, that level of polish means that we’re more than likely going to have to wait a bit longer than normal before the show’s second season which will also consist of 10 episodes.
Westworld is such a big, ambitious show. I don’t know if it will be fall of 2017 or into ’18. That will depend as we get up and running. With Westworld, because the production is such a big endeavor, I don’t exactly know when [it will premiere] yet. I can’t speculate other than to say it’ll either be ’17 or ’18. Probably more like ’18… but we’re a year away so let’s see how it goes.
Damn. 2018 sure is a long way off right now (especially after the gigantic reveal in this week’s episode – look out for more on that in another article!). Of course, this massive delay between seasons is nothing new for HBO who would rather take the admirable route of waiting for a quality production than rushing out a compromised version. Game of Thrones, HBO’s other flagship genre show, is currently set to have a shorted season 7, and will only debut in mid-2017, months later than it’s usual early April premiere slot.
Westworld co-creators and showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy – who had previously indicated that they already had the show’s story mapped out for 5 years – responded acccordingly to the announcement of a second season.
We’re thrilled that the saga of Westworld will continue for another season. During the lengthy journey to the screen, our incredibly talented actors, staff and crew became a family, and we look forward to the privilege of continuing this experience with them. We’re also thankful to all of our amazing partners at HBO, WBTV and Bad Robot for their steadfast support, imagination and ambition. We simply couldn’t have made this show anywhere else.
Westworld is currently on episode 7 of its 10 episode first season, so you still have some time to play catch for the inevitable massive season finale in a few weeks time.
Last Updated: November 15, 2016
