Westworld is a science fiction television series based on the movie Westworld (directed by Jurassic Park’s Michael Crichton). The show is set in a fictional 1970’s western-themed amusement park where humans pay to interact with androids. There are quite a few big Hollywood names attached to this show including Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, and Thandie Newton.

Every night when the park closes, the android’s minds are erased and they start again the next day. The park appeals to the wealthy human visitors largely because the humans (or newcomers as they are called on the show) are allowed to do any and everything that they want to the androids. Even when the androids attempt to fight back, for example shoot a human, the humans are not injured.

In general the androids are unaware that they are not human and that they are living in an amusement park however the plot centers on the fact that one of the androids, Dolores (played by Evan Rachel Wood), learns that her life is all a lie.

There is also a mysterious human guest who appears to be searching for a maze. In his quest for answers, he tortures and mutilates multiple androids. In addition, many androids begin working abnormally after a mass software update. These androids are pulled from the park to be repaired and if they are deemed irreparably damaged, they are decommissioned. However, early on it appears that sabotage may be at work as many of the androids are going “off script” and behaving irrationally. Many of the androids also suffer from flashbacks of previous story lines that they were included in.

The first season consists of 10 episodes. The show was highly received by audience and critics and was renewed for a second season within a month after the first season premiered.

You can watch Westword on HBO or HBO on Demand. You can also catch episodes on Amazon.

If you’d like to watch the movie Westworld which the series is based on, you can also watch that on Amazon.