The HBO Sci-Fi Western That Deserved Better After Season 1

HBO has many great sci-fi shows, but its sci-fi western hit deserved a much better fate after going downhill. HBO is home to some of the best TV shows of all time, such as The Sopranos and Succession, and it has a variety of shows across different genres. When it comes to sci-fi, HBO has shows like The Last of Us and Dune: Prophecy.

While HBO has become known for the high quality of its TV shows, it has also had shows that didn’t reach their full potential. Falling into that category is Westworld, a dystopian sci-fi Western drama TV show created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, and based on the 1973 movie of the same name.

Westworld ran for four seasons between 2016 and 2022, and even though it now ranks among the best sci-fi TV shows of all time, it didn’t reach its full potential and deserves a much better fate than what it got.

Westworld Had A Perfect First Season

Evan Rachel Wood as Dolores in Westworld

Westworld takes the audience into the future, to the 2050s, where the company Delos Inc. operates theme parks populated by “Hosts”, biomechanical robots that look just like humans. One of those parks is the title Westworld, an American Old-West park, where, like in any other of these parks, the Hosts are programmed to fulfill their guests’ desires, no matter how violent they might be.

The Hosts’ programming prevents them from harming any living thing and from allowing guests to be harmed, and their memories are wiped after each narrative at the park is completed. Season 1 of Westworld follows Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins), who implements an update that causes some Hosts to regain their memories and become sentient.

While the higher-ups at Delos try to address this, a mysterious guest, known as the Man in Black (Ed Harris), arrives at Westworld. Season 1 of Westworld holds the highest critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes for the show, with 87%, and was praised for its world-building, themes, visuals, and performances.

Westworld season 1 is a perfect introduction to this complex world full of twists and turns, blending Western, sci-fi, and philosophical themes, inviting the audience to question themes like AI, consciousness, memory, ethics, and more. Westworld season 1 is still regarded as one of the best sci-fi seasons of all time, but unfortunately, the show couldn’t replicate its quality.

How Westworld Changed After Season 1

James Marsden and Evan Rachel Wood in Westworld — James Marsden and Evan Rachel Wood standing together outside in a scene from Westworld

While many TV shows with solid first seasons end up declining after a couple more seasons, others crash and burn right away. Unfortunately, Westworld falls into the latter category, and though its second season holds an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was the beginning of the end for the show.

Westworld began as a sci-fi Western with philosophical themes, emotional depth and complexity, and very well-written twists. Season 2 had an abrupt tone shift, now being more of a cyberpunk thriller, with subsequent seasons continuing on this path. Season 2 and the rest were also overstuffed and convoluted, with the introduction of other parks and inconsistent elements.

After season 1, Westworld also made questionable changes to its key characters, particularly Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), turning her into a god-like figure looking for more power and shifting away from her initial goal. On top of all this, Westworld shifted its focus from consciousness and sentient Hosts to action as the humans battled Hosts.

All these changes eventually (and inevitably) led to Westworld’s cancellation in 2022 after four seasons, and later that year, the show was removed from HBO Max. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, Westworld isn’t streaming anywhere.

Why Westworld Suffered Such A Drop In Quality

Maeve sitting at the bar looking concerned

As perfect as Westworld season 1 was, it set itself up for potential failure. Westworld season 1 had an engaging mystery and unexpected twists, with the big mystery resolved at the end of the season. This left Westworld no other option than to expand beyond its season 1 settings, characters, and conflicts, but it was clear it didn’t know how to do it.

Westworld seasons 2, 3, and 4 tried too hard to maintain the complexity and depth of season 1, resulting in convoluted stories, underdeveloped characters, and unexciting plots. This has led to online discussion about how Westworld would have been better as a miniseries, but ultimately, this unique world had a lot of potential for expansion – the problem was that it was mishandled.

Westworld’s drop in quality led to ratings dropping and bad reviews, which, along with the show’s high production cost, led to its cancellation and reputation as a great sci-fi show that deserved a lot better.

Will Westworld Season 5 Happen?

Evan Rachel Wood and John Gallagher Jr. in Westworld season 3

Unfortunately, Westworld couldn’t get the ending that was planned for it, and, as a result, Westworld season 4 ended on a cliffhanger. What’s known about Westworld season 5 is that it would have brought the show’s story full circle, and it sounds like it would have gone back to what made season 1 so great.

Despite Nolan and Joy sharing their plans for Westworld season 5, it’s unlikely to happen. HBO isn’t a network known for giving its canceled TV shows another chance, so the only way it could happen is if Westworld is picked up by another studio. However, this is also unlikely to happen at this point. Even though Westworld deserves a proper ending, it doesn’t have a bright future ahead.