With shows like Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, and Band of Brothers, HBO quietly changed the culture. While traditional networks competed heavily for the Sunday slot, the cable network claimed it for themselves and made HBO Sundays a real thing. The 9 pm slot is coveted because that’s when HBO airs new episodes of its biggest shows. The network is always looking for the next big hit to replace shows that are either wrapping up for the season or ending permanently. In 2016, HBO was facing a shift that meant it had to take big swings. One of the most popular HBO shows — and the most popular period — was nearing an end. The series had become increasingly expensive, and the story was reaching its natural conclusion.
That show is Game of Thrones, the hit fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series. Game of Thrones was a global phenomenon, and HBO needed another high-concept big-budget show to take over once the show wrapped up. The network picked up Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s sci-fi Western ***Westworld ***as its new flagship series. Set in a park with human-like robots, the series explored the rise of artificial intelligence. Westworld was an immediate hit, but it never reached the levels of Game of Thrones. Years later, ratings began to decline, production costs rose, and HBO canceled the series after four seasons, despite the creators having a five-season roadmap.
Soon after, HBO removed the show from HBO Max for financial reasons, leaving fans with a few ways to watch it, including purchasing episodes and seasons on PVOD platforms. Streaming data from FlixPatrol shows that the appetite for Westworld has never waned, as the show is among the most-streamed on iTunes. Ranked second at the time of writing, this surge can be attributed to its creators’ new hit sci-fi Western, Fallout, and the recent news about an upcoming remake of Westworld, but for the big screen.
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
Nolan and Joy’s version was not the first time the story had been explored. Michael Crichton tackled his own screenplay in a 1973 film adaptation. Now, Warner Bros. is remaking the film, with Jurassic World writer David Koepp attached as the writer. The new movie does not have a director or cast yet. With the film in the early stages of development, plot details have not been revealed, so it’s unclear how events will unfold.
HBO’s Westworld is available for purchase on online stores. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Science Fiction
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Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy
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
Roberto Patino, Carly Wray, Ron Fitzgerald, Daniel T. Thomsen, Karrie Crouse, Wes Humphrey