‘Westworld’ Season 4 confirmed by HBO, fans delighted the show won’t be ending just yet
‘Westworld’ fans have a reason to be happy. The HBO science fiction series created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy has been renewed for a fourth season.
The announcement came from Casey Bloys, the president of HBO Programming on Wednesday, April 22. “From the western theme park to the technocratic metropolis of the near future, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn from the minds of master storytellers Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. We can’t wait to see where their inspired vision takes us next,” he said.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources said that the show will have a total of six seasons. Per the report, the renewal was part of Joy and Nolan's larger payout as part of the nine-figure overall deal the duo signed with Amazon in 2019. While they will create new projects for Amazon, the deal reportedly included upfront payment for their services as showrunners on ‘Westworld’ for its final three seasons.
Fans on Reddit made a reference to the sitcom 'Community' and called for, "Six Seasons And A Movie!"
The show that combines Shakespearean storytelling with Artificial Intelligence, philosophical tenets like determinism and fatalism, and deep dives into the origin of consciousness began as a tale of subjugation of android Hosts in a theme park with a 19th-century Western motif. But over the course of the three seasons, the show has reached a place full of hard-boiled cyberpunk elements and a very Wachowskis-esque battle between man and machine.
Season 3, that launched on March 15, has so far aired six episodes. The final two episodes in the eight-part installment remain. And the story right now all but points to war, not just between humans and Hosts, but between two particular Hosts as well -- Thandie Newton’s Maeve and Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores.
While fans are pleased with the announcement, many feared just how long they would have to wait for season 4. The show, after all, has always taken its time, whether it’s building up to the climax of the story, or production of seasons. Season 1, for example, arrived in 2016. Season 2 aired in 2018. And season 3 in March this year. Fans, thus, were sure that they would have to roughly wait for two years before they got to see what the showrunners had in mind for a fourth installment.
But they were also pleased that they would get to see more of Maeve, Dolores, and perhaps, even Charlotte Hale. Like a fan wrote on Twitter, “Thank you to the holy trinity Thandie Newton, Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thompson.”
Many fans, however, were also surprised, considering this season looked like it would be the final chapter of the story. A fan commented on Twitter, “YES! I was just talking with another fan and we were both lamenting the fact that this might be the last season. This is great to hear. This is such a great show and the performers are spectacular in their roles. ‘These violent delights have violent ends’.” Actor Jeffrey Wright, who plays Bernard Lowe on the series, tweeted, “Welcome to our world...again.”
Some criticized the show. Season 3 has been on the receiving end of some tough love (a lot like season 2). But mostly, the response to the Twitter announcement of the season for was a loud chorus of “F*** yeah-s”.
The next episode of 'Westworld' airs April 26, on HBO.