‘Westworld’ Season 5: Everything You Need to Know

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Westworld was one of the biggest shows in HBO’s history when it premiered in October 2016. The neo-Western science-fiction series has been very popular with fans and it’s been nominated for 54 Primetime Emmy Awards and won nine across four seasons. Season 4 premiered in June 2022 and concluded two months later, leaving fans wanting more from the show. As of October 2022, HBO still hasn’t renewed Westworld for season 5.

Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy addressed the future of Westworld at New York Comic Con 2022. “We always planned for a fifth and final season,” Jonathan said, according to Deadline. “We are still in conversations with the network. We very much hope to make them,” he added. Lisa previously told Deadline that she and Jonathan, “have always had an ending in mind that we hope to reach. We have not quite reached it yet.”

HollywoodLife has rounded up everything you need to know about Westworld season 5 below. Get the scoop on when the show may return, the possible cast for the fifth season, and more.

Potential Release Date

Westworld season 5 hasn’t even been confirmed by HBO yet, so obviously there’s no premiere date announced. If there is a fifth (and probably final) season, it likely won’t come out until 2024. There’s been a two-year time gap between each of the first four seasons of the show. Season 1 premiered in October 2016, Season 2 premiered in April 2018, Season 3 premiered in March 2020, and Season 4 premiered in June 2022. The gap between seasons 3 and 4 was the longest due to COVID-19 pandemic delays. The first two seasons had 10 episodes each, while seasons 3 and 4 each had 8 episodes. The ratings have fallen each season of Westworld.

Season 4 Recap

Westworld season 4 was well-received by fans and critics, following two subpar seasons of the show. The season ended perfectly for season 5 to be the final installment of the show. Dolores is sent through the Sublime to see if humanity and hosts can live together. Dolores returns to restart life and the show is essentially back to where it started. William becomes the Man in Black again and wants to turn all humans against each other. Host William, Host Caleb, Clementine, Stubbs, and Charlotte Hale all die by the end of season 4. But everyone could come back since Dolores basically reset everything. Frankie is one of the last humans standing and she leaves the city for refuge.

‘Westworld’ Season 5 Cast

There’s been no confirmed cast returns for Westworld season 5 yet. The main cast from season 4 featured Evan Rachel Wood, Tessa Thompson, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Aaron Paul, James Marsden, Ed Harris,  Luke Hemsworth, and Aurora Perrineau. It’s likely we’ll see most, if not all, of those stars return for the fifth season, especially if its the final season of the show. Westworld has so many twists and turns so the show can get away with bringing back any characters even if they died at some point already.

What Fans Want To See Happen in Season 5

There’s some loose ends that need to be tied up in Westworld season 5. Dolores went back to where everything started at the end of season 4, so the next season will probably return to the western theme park from season 1. Dolores will have to decide if she wants to save sentient life.

Creator Lisa Joy teased some of the season 5 plot and Dolores’ pivotal role in an interview with The Wrap after the season 4 finale. “You know, we always thought that ‘Westworld’ should kind of come full circle and back to the West. But with Dolores, who was just a player in other people’s games, finally getting to write her own. Just to close up a lot of the stuff that we’ve seen before like the flashforward with The Man in Black and everything, so we have a plan for Season 5 – but, you know, life can make other plans for you. So we’ll just hope for the best,” she said.

Lisa added, “It’s not an accident that they’re returning to the west, as Westworld, and this time with a completely different storyteller in charge. I think point of view can change drastically the meaning of any kind of story or existence, and now it’s her turn. How often do you get to see the damsel in distress become the leader of a society? Somebody who went through what she did – I mean, look at our world now. How often does that happen and who holds power in most civilizations? It’s not a person or creature like Dolores. She was a ‘thing’ to people. She lived through countless lives and reboots where she was at the mercy of guests in a park, indulging in their vices and id. She’s seen a lot of human nature, and maybe enough to know how to structure something or give a game in which some kind of hope for it might emerge.”

HollywoodLife will continue to update you on Westworld season 5 as more news come out!