With the success ofGame of Thrones, HBO was keen to find another series that could replicate the fervor around their fantasy epic, and they nearly had it with this science fiction series. The list ofreplacements forGame of Thronessince the series ended is wanting, with no fantasy series coming close to the critical highs ofGOT.
That’s not even to mention thepop culture footprint thatGame of Thronesleft.There are only a handful of series that can claim a “black hole”-like effect, dominating office conversations, online message boards, and everywhere in between.Lostcame close, but it’sThe Sopranosthat’s probably the best comparison.
If you’re counting, that’s two HBO series that have dominated television. Naturally, any profit-minded network wouldn’t be content to sit back and relax after these victories. They’d want another hit show. HBO nearly had it too, with a science fiction mystery, but it couldn’t quite get the series on track.
The Science Fiction Series Was Similarly Epic And Engaging
Westworldcould have been the next show to take the baton fromGame of Thrones, premiering in October 2016, a few months afterGame of Thronesseason 6 aired. That first season ofWestworldwas an exciting development: a big-budget science fiction series with a fantastic cast and a gripping mystery.
Based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 filmWestworld, the series is set in the year 2050, where the technology company Delos has built several theme parks, all designed for human guests to interact with “Hosts”, biomechanical robots virtually indistinguishable from humans, allowing visitors to roleplay their most horrific fantasies.
However, these robotic hosts soon begin to show signs of sentience. It becomesdifficult to tell human from Host, and suddenly, all the pain and suffering inflicted on an emotionless being takes on a grave reality. There were mysteries aplenty inWestworld, but it wisely kept the actual puzzles relatively condensed.
The central pillar ofWestworldis not hard to understand: Hosts have gained sentience.
The central pillar ofWestworldis not hard to understand: Hosts have gained sentience. That’s all there is to it. That central tenet allows other intriguing questions to be raised, however.House of the Dragonmay be the replacement forGOTnow, but at one time, the crown was there forWestworldto take.
Westworld Season 1 Was A Masterpiece That Gave Game Of Thrones Serious Competition
Westworldpremiered to 1.963 million viewers, with an average of 1.822 million viewers for that first season, and currently has an 87% onRotten Tomatoes(viaTVSeriesFinale). In season 6,Game of Throneshad an average of 7.94 million viewers (viaTVSeriesFinale). Remember, we’re comparingWestworldto one of the greatest shows ever.
However, season 1 ofGame of Throneslooked a little more like season 1 ofWestworld, with an average of 2.52 million viewers (viaTVByTheNumbers). The first season ofGame of Thronesalso had a 90% onRotten Tomatoes. But more than any numbers or ratings, it just felt like the “big” show people were waiting for.
There were major actors involved including Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, and Anthony Hopkins; and lesser-known but talented stars like Jimmi Simpson, Evan Rachel Wood, and Thandiwe Newton. The show asked big questions and the answers were never straightforward. That first season isas good as science fiction TV gets.
Westworldgot going quickly with its plot, and yet had plenty of time to develop its ensemble of characters.One of the original great triumphs ofGame of Throneswas its ability to balance the incredible and fantastical plot elements with character momentsthat forced you to care about more than just dragons and ice zombies.
Westworldmanaged to capture that in its first season. The music, the production, the acting, the dialogue, the writing, and whatever else you can think of, combined to form an incredible season of television.
No One Expected Westworld To Go Downhill So Fast
Season 2 Became Far Too Complex
While I still contend thatWestworldis a worthwhile four season watch, with only season 2 and a few episodes in the later seasons truly dragging it down, even I have to admit that seasons 2-4 were a let-down overall. What was worse was thatWestworld’s decline came out of nowhere when it began to happen.
Season 1 ended on a strong note. The actors were all signed on to stay, the series was quickly renewed, and there didn’t seem to be any red flags withWestworldthat would suggest production was having trouble.Season 2 ofWestworldwas as well set up as any other seriesand yet it still dropped the ball.
However, the plot ofWestworldbecame increasingly confused and unnecessarily complex.
However, the plot ofWestworldbecame increasingly confused and unnecessarily complex. The series lost sight of that central pillar. Suddenly,the simple idea that the Hosts had gained sentience was thrown into question, or at least that core fact was obscured and questioned, and not in a way that helped the show.
It was hard forWestworldto come back after that and while season 3 was an improvement, it felt like a very different show, now taking place outside the park. to tighten up the story, a welcome feat,Westworldhad to shed some of the aspects that made it unique in the first place.
The series ended up eating itself, and few fans stuck around for season 3, much less season 4. Even worse,Westworldwas canceled before its final season could air, leaving even more questions for viewers. No show may ever replaceGame of Thrones, but it’s still a shame to see one with potential trip over itself.
