Robot cowboy drama Westworld has been a massive hit for HBO, and while it’s not quite the ‘next Game of Thrones’ that everybody was hoping for, it’s undeniably a success.
The fourth season finished with death and destruction – but will the story continue? We have rounded up everything we know so far about Westworld season 5.
Will there be a Westworld season 5?
So far, HBO has not confirmed if Westworld will be returning for a fifth season. However, some of the cast and crew expect that it will.
Lisa Joy told Deadline that she and her co-showrunner – Jonathan Nolan – have “always had an ending in mind that we hope to reach. We have not quite reached it yet”.
In addition, Ed Harris, who plays William/The Man in Black told The Hollywood Reporter “We have one more season, which will start filming next April and May”. Again, this claim hasn’t been confirmed by the network.
If Westworld does return, then Joy told The Wrap that it would most likely be the final season.
It is worth keeping in mind that Warner Bros. has been making some huge cuts across the board since its merger with Discovery, and Westworld’s viewership isn’t as strong as it once was. Therefore, there is a possibility that it could get cancelled. Watch this space.
When will Westworld season 5 air?
If Westworld does return – and is set to film in spring 2023 as Ed Harris claims – then based on previous seasons we would estimate it to air around a year after, so spring 2024.
How to watch Westworld
Westworld is made by HBO, so if you’re in the US, that’s where you’ve got to watch it. You can also stream all previous seasons over on HBO Max.
For the UK, as with most big HBO shows, that means it airs on Sky Atlantic.
If you don’t have Sky already that means you’d have to sign up for one of its TV bundles to watch the show live, but there is another (cheaper) way: Now. This streaming service boasts Sky content – including Westworld – so you’ll be able to watch Westworld whenever you want. The Entertainment Pass costs just £9.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial.
What would the plot be for Westworld season 5?
Spoilers for Westworld season 4 ahead
Westworld season 4 ended on a huge cliffhanger, with almost the entire cast being wiped out and the updated version of Dolores – played by Evan Rachel Wood – creating a new version of Westworld in an effort to give humanity one final chance to redeem itself.
If we see another season, we expect that it will wipe the slate clean and bring us back to the familiar Western Park setting.
Co-showrunner Lisa Joy told The Wrap that putting her at the centre was always the endgame: “…we always thought that Westworld should kind of come full circle and back to the West. But with Dolores, who was just a player in other people’s games, finally getting to write her own.
“Just to close up a lot of the stuff that we’ve seen before like the flashforward with The Man in Black and everything, so we have a plan for Season 5 but you know, life can make other plans for you. So we’ll just hope for the best.”
Even though we saw the loss of many characters in season 4, there is a chance that they may be resurrected. Joy told Deadline that “There are ways of conjuring characters back. There are some faces we will see again, but not all of them. Some deaths must be respected.”
Therefore, we may see the return of characters such as Bernard, Hale, Maeve, Hale, William, Charlotte, Stubbs, Clementine and Caleb – but only time will tell.
Author: Dominic Preston, Deputy Editor
Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.