The linear ratings are down for HBO’s Westworld in its second season, but apparently the premium cable channel is still happy with how the show is performing because they just gave it an early renewal. Of course, HBO is not as concerned with the number of people that Nielsen claims is watching the show live because the network does not depend on advertisers for its primary revenue. Instead, it has its own formula to determine if its original programming is driving enough subscriptions to the service, and apparently Westworld is doing quite well on that front. I would have been surprised if this show had not survived beyond the current season, even if the ratings continued to trend down, because it is a very high-profile series for the network and earned several Emmy awards. For now it has an additional ten episodes planned beyond the current season and I expect this series to stick around for around five or six seasons to give it a binge-worthy run (because of the high cost of around $10 million per episode HBO may not be able to afford to keep it going longer than that).
Westworld focuses on the titular theme park run by the Delos corporation which creates a realistic western setting with lifelike robots (referred to as “hosts”). But some of these robots start to show signs of artificial intelligence which could be a threat to the park and perhaps the human race. It is based on the Michael Crichton novel which was made into a feature film in 1973 and it stars Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, James Marsden, Ed Harris, and Anthony Hopkins.
Expect more renewal and cancellation announcements as we head toward the May Upfronts, and be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.
Nice. I just started watching this show so I’m delighted to know it will have 30 episodes at bare minimum.