Every now and then, a show comes along that not only catches viewers' attention, but inspires them to spend thinking and theorizing about it long after the end credits have rolled. HBO's Westworld is the latest hit series built to do that by introducing mysteries that fans must trust the writers to eventually solve. While the show's many mysteries have been the subject of endless debate online, with a few key fan theories being confirmed as the season went on, the greatest question of all will be asked at the end of the Season 1 finale: when will Westworld return for Season 2?
The second season of Westworld has already been confirmed, which isn't much of a surprise considering that 3.3 million people tuned in to the premiere episode, making it the network's most successful drama premiere since Season 1 of True Detective. While the news of a second season of Westworld is exciting, it does come with an unfortunate caveat — the show may not come back until 2018. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, HBO's programming president Casey Bloys speculated about when Season 2 could premiere and said:
"My suspicion is sometime in 2018 because of how big the world is and what goes into shooting it. So I don’t have a date exactly – they’re going to have to map it out and write the scripts – but my guess is sometime in ‘18."
That's right, 2017 might be a Westworld-less year. And even if the series defies Bloys' prediction and comes back in 2017, it surely wouldn't be until the fall or winter. Of course, that won't stop fans from continuing to theorize and look for clues hidden within the first season. But with only so much Westworld to go around, fans may find solace by digging into the other major sci-fi mystery shows that came before it.
LOST
It's almost impossible to talk about Westworld's place in television history without talking about LOST. They're both series that introduce massive mysteries and trust the audience to come along for the ride with the promise of answers somewhere down the line. While Westworld seems to be answering questions at a breakneck pace, LOST fans waited for years to answer simple questions like "What is the deal with the Polar bears?" and "why is Walt magic?" and "How do they all stay so clean and well-groomed?" If you want to dive into Westworld's roots, there's no better place to start than LOST.
Battlestar Galactica
If you replace the "west" in Westworld with "space," you end up with Battlestar Galactica. This series turns the sci-fi dial up to 10 tell while asking the all-important question, "which of these characters is secretly a robot?" The story of humanity's last survivors looking for a place to start over, Battlestar Galactica mixes thrilling space battles with musings on the nature of humanity and the inherent conflict between military and political forces. It's a show with a lot on its mind and mysteries around every corner.
The Leftovers
The Leftovers is what would happen if one of the creative minds behind LOST said, "LOST made too much sense, let's make something really obtuse." Oddly enough, that's literally what happened. The Leftovers comes from the mind of LOST co-showrunner Damon Lindelof and is as beautiful as it is confusing. Based on the book by Tom Perrotta, the show highlights what happens after 2 percent of the world's population mysteriously disappears and also features massive time jumps, incurable diseases being inexplicably fixed, and the occasional trip to an otherworldly hotel to kill the alternate-reality version of the ghost cult-leader woman that has been haunting her murderer. With its third and final season premiering in 2017, you have just enough time to catch up and start theorizing before The Leftovers comes to an end.
Westworld may be going off the air for a while after the Dec. 4 season finale, but it won't be leaving fans' minds anytime soon. What the series lacks in clear answers it makes up for in strong performances, beautiful visuals, and enough high-minded speculative fiction to keep even the most well-read sci-fi fan engaged until Season 2 premieres.
Images: John P. Johnson/HBO, Giphy (3)
