The first episode of the third season of the science fiction series ‘Westworld’ aired on March 15 and the second did on the 22. Season 3, which is titled ‘The New World,’ will be shorter than the previous seasons, with eight episodes. Still, it will surely provide entertainment for its numerous fans stuck at home during the quarantine.
Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) and Maeve (Thandie Newton) are among the characters that returned in the new season. The pair have spoken out about having equal pay with their male co-stars for the show and said that for Season 3 they will be paid the same as Ed Harris and Anthony Hopkins.
When it comes to the plot of the third season, Nolan, the series’ co-creator, has hinted on what the fans can expect. He said: “We’re looking at the aftermath of the massacre in the park…after all they went through to get out of the park, Dolores finally got what she wanted, so we wanted to see how she interacts with the world and what her plan is. That’s a part of the story we were excited to tell.”
The most-watched show on HBO Now the past week is the third season of ‘Westworld’. Other original series have also seen big boosts: the audience for ‘Euphoria’ doubled over its four-week average; shows with viewership gains of over 50% were ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Big Little Lies,’ ‘Chernobyl,’ and ‘His Dark Materials.’
HBO is seeing a rapid increase in time spent by Americans streaming as millions of them are shut indoors during the coronavirus pandemic. Time spent with the HBO Now streaming service since Saturday, March 14, was over 40% higher than the previous four-week average, according to Warner Media.
The company said it’s the highest engagement rates for HBO Now since last summer after ‘Euphoria’ season 1 and ‘Big Little Lies’ season 2 launched. In addition, during the last week, daily binge viewing of HBO series (three or more episodes per session) increased 65% compared with the prior four weeks, also according to Warner Media. For now, there’s no third-party data available that could confirm the company’s claims. Some are saying that the date published is fake since the initial Warner Media release informed about a viewing increase of only 20%.
Currently, Warner Media’s HBO data is split and the network can be found on many different streaming platforms including HBO Now, HBO Go, Apple TV, and Hulu. Their new app, HBO Max, will be the new home of premium content from Warner Media which includes Warner Bros., New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Cartoon Network, and more.
Set to release this Spring 2020, the most anticipated show to be included on this app is not ‘Westworld’ but the fan-favorite ‘Friends’.