Westworldwas cut short too soon, with season 5 being cancelled, despite it being confirmed to be the final season of the show. Although there may be hope yet for it eventually returning, this was a sad end to one of thebest Western shows in the last decadethat showed so much promise in the first few seasons. Its dip in viewership could partly be because the mystery box was opened too soon, as well as advances inAI dialogue tech scarily makingWestworldoutdated.
Nonetheless, a forgotten two-season sci-fi series shares a lot of the interesting themes explored in thecanceled four-season Western.Joss Whedon’sDollhouseis incredibly underrated and has been a clear influence on high-concept sci-fi. Thematically, it is perhaps Whedon’s most ambitious project that suffered the same network-led fate asWestworld.
Dollhouse Shares A Lot In Common With Westworld
Although There Are Differences, They Are The Same Core Concept
Dollhouseis a high-concept sci-fishow by Joss Whedon. Not only does it have several similarities withWestworld,but it is also a notable influence onSeverance.AlthoughDollhouseonly had two seasons, it packed a punch with its themes and character writing and was ahead of its time. LikeWestworld’s Delos Inc., Whedon’s sci-fi features a large corporation developing programmable people for the pleasure and entertainment of the rich, with a mysterious greater goal in mind. The“dolls”gradually gain awareness of their past lives, although the pace of this is slower than inWestworld,perhaps to its advantage.
The key difference betweenDollhouseandWestworldis thatthe dolls inDollhouseare human beings(rather than robotic hosts) whose minds can be“activated”with certain verbal commands. However, they both deal with similar themes of autonomy on an individual level and technology in the wrong hands on a broader apocalyptic level. The characters inDollhouse,as inWestworld,are cleverly written and often morally grey. Keen sci-fi viewers will recognize familiar faces amongDollhouse’s stellar cast, includingBattlestar Galacticaactor Tahmoh Penikett.
Why Dollhouse & Westworld Both Ended
Both Were Canceled By Their Respective Networks
BothDollhouseandWestworldended because of network decisions. Fox took a risk withDollhouse,and the showrunner has acknowledged that the concept was difficult for FOX to market inWhedon’s comments on whyDollhousefailed. After theFireflydebacle, it is perhaps a miracle thatDollhousegot a second season - and the creators made the most of it by progressing quickly with the story.Although short-lived, this makes it a tightly-written series worthy of a watchfor viewers missingWestworld.
Season 5 would have been the last season ofWestworld,but the show was very expensive to make…
Westworld’s cancelation is a tragedy because Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan have always deliberated in their decisions about quantity, having no more than 10 episodes per season and having a clear idea of how many seasons they would do. Season 5 would have been the last season ofWestworld,but the show was very expensive to make, and its viewership had dropped by season 4.
Nolan remains hopeful aboutWestworldseason 5being picked up again, and it would be great to see the story tied off. This being said,Dollhouseis a great replacement for viewers missing the thought-provoking story of the first season ofWestworld,which arguably remains the best.
Westworld
Cast
Westworld is a television series set in a futuristic Wild West-themed amusement park where advanced android hosts cater to human guests' desires. The series explores the themes of artificial consciousness and human morality as the lines between reality and artificiality begin to blur.
