Why was the fifth season of Westworld canceled? Continue reading to learn more about Westworld Season 5.
The fourth season of the American science fiction dystopian television series Westworld, also subtitled as “The Choice,” premiered on HBO on June 26, 2022, and concluded on August 14, 2022, consisting of eight episodes. As the show’s fourth season concluded a few weeks ago, the viewers are wondering if this is the last time they will watch it or if HBO will renew it for additional seasons as the show has gained a popular and devoted fan base worldwide. So, it is fair to ask about the franchise’s status. On the other hand, we would like to highlight that Westworld’s ratings have steadily declined throughout its run.
The critical response to the series increased from Season 3 to Season 4 from 73% to 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, but fans had become increasingly vocal about the dense mythology and convoluted storylines that had become more difficult to follow, which had reflected in the viewership numbers. This has led to debate regarding the show’s future. If you were looking forward to knowing more about the next chapter of Westworld, then you have reached the right place, as we have listed all the crucial and latest information about the current status of the show.
Here is everything we know about Westworld Season 5’s status with the network.
Westworld: Will there be a Season 5?
Despite the fact that the fourth season has a fairly good reception on Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 76% based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website’s critical consensus reads: “Westworld‘s continued reliance on mystery will frustrate just as much as it intrigues, but this fourth season still offers plenty of gleaming and menacing insight into a brave new world.” Metacritic assigned a score of 64 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews.”
Moreover, Jonathan Nolan seems optimistic at New York Comic-Con that he will have the series conclusion that he believes the drama deserves. On Saturday, while promoting his new drama The Peripheral, Nolan was approached by a fan who asked for an update on the HBO series.”We always planned for a fifth and final season,” Nolan said. Further adding, “We are still in conversations with the network. We very much hope to make them.” Previously, co-creator Lisa Joy told Deadline that “Jonah (Nolan) and I have always had an ending in mind that we hope to reach. We have not quite reached it yet.”
According to Deadline, the core cast had pay-or-play deals for Season 5. The salaries the cast is owed for Season 5 are believed to total in the $10M-$15M range. It is not a small chunk of change, but Westworld is not a cheap show overall, with its third-season budget pegged at $100M, or about $10M an episode, so proceeding with the fifth season would’ve cost HBO north of $80M. The cancellation decision came down to the same criteria Netflix uses for their renewal decisions: viewership vs. cost.
The cancellation comes a day after a challenging quarterly earnings report by HBO parent Warner Bros. Discovery. During the call that followed, WBD CEO David Zaslav revealed plans to raise the company’s savings target to $3.5B, up $500M over its initial target. “The grand experiment of creating something at any cost is over,” he said.
In addition to this, HBO stated in a statement, “Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step. We are tremendously grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers, and crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. Television. It’s been a thrill to join them on this journey.” Kilter Films added, “Making Westworld has been one of the highlights of our careers. We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds. We’ve been privileged to tell these stories about the future of consciousness – both human and beyond – in the brief window of time before our AI overlords forbid us from doing so.”
“Making Westworld has been one of the highlights of our careers. We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds…
— Westworld (@WestworldHBO) November 5, 2022
Westworld Season 4: What happened in the final episode?
The final episode, “Que Será, Será,” was released on August 14, 2022. The episode is directed by Richard J. Lewis and written by Alison Schapker & Jonathan Nolan. The episode was viewed by 0.39 million US viewers. In the episode, the viewers got to see that humans and hosts are being wiped out as a result of the host, William’s actions. Caleb, Frankie, and Stubbs flee the human violence and stop at a pharmacy to treat Frankie’s wounds, but Clementine appears and kills Stubbs before being overpowered and killed by Caleb and Frankie.
Caleb, whose host body is about to fail, bids his daughter farewell as the two board their extraction boat. Charlotte is brought back to life by drone hosts and discovers recorded instructions left for her by Bernard before his death. She retrieves Dolores’ original control unit, which contains a simulation of Christina’s world (who created Teddy, Maya, and others to help herself gain sentience).
Charlotte then pursues William to Hoover Dam, where she prevents him from deactivating the Sublime (via a gun planted by Bernard), before removing and destroying his control unit. After that, she uploads Dolores’ control unit into the Sublime before destroying her own. Dolores awakens within the Sublime and decides to give sentient life another chance at survival, recognizing that neither humans nor hosts can survive in the real world. She begins by recreating the original Westworld theme park within the Sublime.
Westworld: Who are in the cast of the series?
The main cast members of the series are as follows: Evan Rachel Wood as Christina / Dolores Abernathy, Thandiwe Newton as Maeve Millay, Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe, Tessa Thompson as Dolores Abernathy, a.k.a. Charlotte Hale, Aaron Paul as Caleb Nichols, Angela Sarafyan as Clementine Pennyfeather, Ed Harris as William / Host William, James Marsden as Teddy Flood, and Luke Hemsworth as Ashley Stubbs.
The recurring cast Ariana DeBose as Maya, Nozipho McLean as Uwade Nichols, Celeste Clark as young Frankie Nichols, Manny Montana as Carver, Michael Malarkey as Emmett, Aaron Stanford as Peter Myers, Aurora Perrineau as Frankie “C” Nichols, Daniel Wu as Jay, and Morningstar Angeline as Odina.
Westworld: Where to stream all the seasons?
All the seasons of Westworld are available to stream on HBO and HBO Max, which is home to the shows and films that everyone is talking about, from groundbreaking series and documentaries to the biggest blockbuster movies. The viewers also have the option to watch Westworld by renting or purchasing it on Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, and iTunes.
So, it is time for you to renew your membership plans, stream the series, and explore another genre of series and movies from the massive catalog that the streaming service offers to its members based on location and plan, which users can choose from according to their preferences.
Catch up on the previous seasons, and let us know in the comments how you feel about the cancelation of Westworld Season 5.