After an unusually long delay, the sci-fi Western epic Westworld has finally been renewed for a second season, Variety reports.
HBO was reportedly waiting to see how the ratings shook out further into the season before committing to another slate of episodes. The series made an auspicious debut in October, with 3.3 million viewers on its first day, between live and rerun broadcasts and streaming. Viewership has more or less stabilized, and the show—according to HBO programming president Casey Bloys—is averaging upwards of nearly 12 million viewers per episode, factoring in reruns, on-demand, and streaming. However, Bloys told Variety that we will likely not see new episodes of Westworld until 2018.
In other words, the VFX-heavy, star-studded show has finally earned its $100 million-plus price tag, especially after the losses HBO suffered with the Martin Scorsese-produced Vinyl, which was ultimately a flop with viewers and critics alike, and canceled after a premature renewal announcement and personnel switches.
HBO’s current, lower-budget comedies, Divorce and Insecure, were also renewed, according to Variety. The recent High Maintenance was renewed in September.
Fans of Westworld Here’s what’s coming next week in Westworld:
