Do I even need to ask you whether you have heard of Westworld? You surely would laugh at me. We are talking about the Westworld series here, which was aired on HBO in 2016, followed by Westworld 2 in 2018. More than being just a television series, it became a phenomenon from the very moment, it started being aired. It had all the elements needed to make it a success: thrill, the curiosity of it being set in future, science, fiction, fear, horror and a perfect theme that made it intriguing. No wonder then, that it claimed a substantial viewership- that of 12 million viewers every week!

The story is set in Westworld, which is an imaginary, hi-tech theme park inhabited by robots called androids. Now the guests in this park are humans and these robots, that have been programmed to inflict no harm on humans, play hosts. Sounds like a fairy tale? Wait till the time hosts turn into killers and start killing guests that arrive in the theme park. A series of mysteries surrounding each character follows.

Now, why did this catch the fantasy of all its fans? Let’s look at some reasons.

1.Considering the fact that we are not very far from the future that it presents, due to our proximity to and dependency on technology, characters became relatable despite being fictional and we are confronted with future reality, a possibility of such a future.

2.The fascination of being able to communicate with perceptive robots, beings having artificial intelligence was yet another reason for its popularity. It is something, humans have been dreaming of, for the past five decades.

3.Besides, it also had all the classic elements of a great story including mind-boggling plot and multiple twists making Westworld emerge as a big Jigsaw puzzle.

4.While Westworld season one presented a striking and stimulating point, to begin with, season two found the audiences waiting and craving for more.

5. Our minds are irrational and fearful, always looking for things that bring up these emotions. That is a major reason such themes always strike their sensibilities.

6. For the trailer of Westworld 2, a cover version of Kanye Vest’s hit song Runaway was used and the striking minimalistic piano melodies of the song, captured the emotions of the show perfectly.

7. It proved once again that HBO can produce small screen blockbusters that can be rated much higher than any studio shot film.

8. Jeffery Wright, Jimmi Simpson, Ed Harris and the rest of the cast did a wonderful job and eventually grew on the viewers.

It won many nominations for Golden Globe Awards, Satellite Awards, Screen Actor Guild Awards and Producer’s Guild Awards, and also successfully bagged four Emmy Awards.

Its success was recorded not only by the number of viewers but also by the revenue it earned. The $100 million series and also bagged the honor of being the most watched television series on HBO. The fact that Westworld was renewed for a third season, clearly shows its popularity.