Westworld Returns to HBO

“These violent delights have violent ends.” This phrase echoes throughout the HBO series Westworld, and it is as prophetic for the players of this dark world as it was for the ill-fated lovers of Romeo & Juliet. Westworld takes viewers into a futuristic Wild West theme park, where guests indulge in their darkest fantasies and desires, from casual sex and gambling to murder and rape. These desires are fulfilled by incredibly realistic automatons, who do not know of their true existence, and bleed, drink, laugh, and die as real as can be. But what happens when knowledge is awakened, and the robots rise up? Violence ensues, and a quest for equality and answers to the mystery of their origins begins. Season 3 of the hit series debuts on March 15, so if you haven’t watched yet, there is still time to catch up.

Westworld is based on a 1973 sci-fi Western thriller written and directed by Michael Crichton, in which Yul Brynner starred as an android outlaw in an Old West theme park where the automatons go rogue and start killing guests. HBO’s hit series takes that premise and runs with it, and features an all-star cast, led by Evan Rachel Wood (True Blood), Thandie Newton (Solo: A Star Wars Movie), Jeffrey Wright (The Hunger Games), James Marsden (X-Men), Tessa Thompson (Creed), and veteran award-winners Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins.

Where to Watch Westworld

Westworld is produced and distributed by HBO, and seasons 1 and 2 are available now, with season 3 beginning March 15. 

HBO can be subscribed to in several ways, including HBO NOW, HBO On Demand, and partners’ streaming platforms. While HBO GO is the mobile access point for streaming HBO with a cable login, HBO NOW allows fans to subscribe to HBO without cable TV service. HBO NOW is available for $14.99 a month after a 7-day free trial. Both options have apps and websites that allow viewing via laptop, phone, or TV, as well as through devices such as Roku, Google Fire, and Apple TV.

Both Amazon Prime and Hulu offer an HBO NOW add-on channel through their sites, at the same rate as the standalone service, including the 7-day free trial.

Why Watch Westworld

Westworld is a fascinating study on the value of life—and the question, “what constitutes life if an AI has memories and emotions?” Like all HBO premium shows, it is beautifully designed, with slick tech in the futuristic real world, as well as rich period detailing in the “park,” from the rolling wild landscapes to incredible sets and costumes in the Wild West. Created by Jonathan Nolan (The Prestige, Interstellar) and Lisa Joy (Pushing Daisies, Burn Notice), the show is executive produced by J. J. Abrams (Lost, Fringe, Star Wars), and remains one of HBO’s most-watched series. It’s convoluted and complicated themes can be a bit mystifying at times, and the show has no shortage of violence and sex. Still, it remains addictively fascinating for fans, maintaining an 87% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

In season 1, Dolores Abernathy (Wood) and Maeve Millay (Newton), two of the “hosts” within the park, begin experiencing dreams and memories of past lives, or rather the violent reliving of their lives over and over again. As these memories grow, they question their history, purpose, and the reality—or lack thereof—of their entire world. Creator Dr. Robert Ford (Hopkins) and designer Bernard Lowe (Wright), may hold the answers that they seek. Soon the two women are leading a bloody revolution of automatons against their human creators and challenging who has the right to control whom. 

Westworld returned with a second season in 2018 (spoilers), which finds the women and their forces moving in and out of not just Westworld but the six parks of this futuristic corporation in their search for answers and vengeance. The season deeper explored the human nature and qualities of an AI and the grey area between living and artificial.

Season 3 promises more of the same and looks to open up the exploration of the futuristic world that created the parks, with stunning glossy tech, as well as a deep dive into a 1940s Nazi-occupied park. Also, it introduces several new cast members, including most prominently Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), as well as Vincent Cassel (Black Swan), Lena Waithe (Master of None), Marshawn Lynch (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), John Gallagher Jr. (The Newsroom), and Michael Ealy (Stumptown).

Looking to catch up more or need a refresher of what has happened so far? Explore HBO’s behind the scenes clips and recaps to refresh yourself on seasons 1 and 2, and look for season 3 starting March 15. 

Season 3 Trailer