Westworld season 1

Plot summary

Westworld co-founder Robert Ford alters host programming as part of a new narrative, aiming to push the oldest host, Dolores Abernathy, toward the center of the maze—a symbol of sentience. This goal was shared by deceased co-founder Arnold Weber and later Ford. The changes cause confusion among staff and guests, leading the Delos board to question Ford's leadership. Dolores achieves sentience, and at a board celebration, Ford announces a host revolt. Dolores kills Ford and many party guests.

Production

Jerry Weintraub, after his success with HBO's Behind the Candelabra, convinced the network to greenlight a pilot for a Westworld remake. He brought the project to Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, who saw potential for a more ambitious series. On August 31, 2013, HBO ordered a pilot with Nolan, Joy, J. J. Abrams, Weintraub, and Bryan Burk as executive producers. The series was later announced for a 2015 premiere, but a teaser on August 9, 2015, revealed a 2016 debut.

The ten-episode first season cost about $100 million, with per-episode budgets of $8–10 million and the pilot alone costing $25 million. HBO and Warner Bros. Television shared production costs, with HBO paying an undisclosed licensing fee. Casting began July 22, 2014, with Anthony Hopkins and Evan Rachel Wood first to join. Subsequent additions included Jeffrey Wright, Rodrigo Santoro, Shannon Woodward, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Angela Sarafyan, Simon Quarterman, James Marsden, Ed Harris, and Thandiwe Newton.

Eddie Rouse, who appeared as Kissy, died on December 8, 2014. Miranda Otto exited in July 2015 after her character was repurposed, replaced by Sidse Babett Knudsen. Clifton Collins Jr., Eion Bailey, and Jimmi Simpson joined; Bailey left after a week, replaced by Ben Barnes. Tessa Thompson joined on September 18.

Reception

The first season received largely positive reviews, with praise for its visuals, story, and performances. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 87% approval rating from 384 reviews, with an average rating of 8.15/10 and an average episode score of 94%. The critics' consensus calls it brilliantly addictive and intelligent. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from 43 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews.

The premiere drew 3.3 million viewers across three Sunday airings and streaming platforms, with Twitter reactions 545% greater than Vinyl and 326% higher than The Leftovers. The season averaged 12 million cumulative viewers, making it HBO's most-watched first season, and was the third most-torrented TV show of 2016. At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, it received seven nominations including Outstanding Drama Series, but won none. It also earned three Golden Globe nominations (Best Television Series – Drama, Best Actress for Wood, Best Supporting Actress for Newton) without winning.

Newton received a Screen Actors Guild nomination, and the core cast was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.