Westworld is television show that runs on HBO, at 10 pm EST on Sundays. Each episode runs for about an hour, and tells the story of a theme park called “Westworld”. Westworld is intended for rich vacationers, as the futuristic park allows its visitors to interact with artificial consciousness, or hosts. No matter how illicit the fantasy may be, there are no consequences for the park’s guests, allowing for any wish to be indulged. This show features an all-star cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, who is most commonly known for playing Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, and Ed Harris, who is most commonly known for his roles in Apollo 13 and The Truman Show. The rest of the cast includes, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, James Marsden, Jimmi Simpson, Jeffrey Wright, and many more.

This 2016 version of Westworld, is based off of the 1973 Michael Crichton movie of the same name. There was a lot of hesitation around the reboot of Westworld. Critic Joyce Slaton states, “It seems like recently every popular show is trying to make a reboot. Westworld was not one of the highest rated films, or even that popular, however the re-imagination of this unique subject matter is really what makes Westworld stand out.” Another critic, Carissa Pavlic, says, “Westworld producers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have created a beautiful look at a complex subject through a visually stunning piece of art. It's thought-provoking. It's gut-wrenching. It's maddening. And I simply cannot wait for the saga to continue.” On the two most popular online rating sites, Westworld has a 8.9/10 rating on IMDb and a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Westworld is becoming a cult classic already. Only in its second season, many are starting to compare it to the very popular Game of Thrones. Games of Thrones is HBO’s most popular show. Going into its eighth season, it averages 12.1 million viewers per episode. Emily Nussbaum from the New Yorker states, “It’s the Game of Thrones for the people who don’t like Game of Thrones.” Westworld debuted on HBO and garnered the network's highest viewership ratings for a premiere since the first episode of True Detective in 2014. Moreover, Westworld ranks as the most-watched first season of any HBO original series. Season 1 brought in around 13.3 million viewers per episode. However the season 2 premiere brought about 13% more viewership than the season 1 premiere. This growth in popularity shows that Westworld is “on par with HBO’s number one series, Game of Thrones” (Variety). On May 1, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season. Westworld received 22 Emmy nominations for its first season, bringing home 5. This is much higher than the 13 nominations and 2 wins Game of Thrones brought home their debut year. With continued growth in popularity Westworld has the potential to be the biggest show on television.