‘Westworld’ Season 3: Showrunner Suggests There Could Be 18 Month Gaps Between Each Season

While Season 2 of HBO’s Westworld has just started, the show’s creators are reaching forward into further seasons of the hit sci-fi series. So, how long will Westworld run for and can fans expect the gap between seasons to grow?

Season 1 of Westworld premiered on HBO in October of 2016. The series concluded 10 weeks later and fans had to wait until 2018 before the next season dropped, leaving a break of 18 months between the Season 1 finale and the Season 2 premiere. Already, Westworld co-creator Jonathan Nolan has revealed to Entertainment Weekly that viewers can also expect a break of at least this long between the Season 2 finale episode and Season 3 premier.

The reason for this is that the showrunners have a lot of ambition when it comes to telling the narrative of Westworld. In order for them to give this story justice, they will need a lot of time between filming and each season premiering to get the feel of the show just right for the audience. Besides filming, things such as editing, cutting, and CGI work takes time and cannot be rushed if the audience is to get a polished production at the end.

As for how much story is left in Westworld, well, the show’s creators think that the show could go beyond Season 3. In fact, they think it has the potential to be endless. After all, the hosts are. In theory, they could just keep telling their story on and on through time. However, this doesn’t mean they want the show to stagnate. They are not interested in telling the same story over and over again each season, just with different characters. Instead, they would like the hosts to step outside the world they know and explore what life is like outside the Westworld theme park.

“We weren’t interested in doing Fantasy Island about which crazy guests will come to the park each year. We’re not interested in repeating ourselves. And for the hosts, their ambition is to learn a little more about the world outside their world. Who are we to step in their way?”

So, while not an official confirmation of Westworld being renewed for Season 3 — or beyond — it is a good indication that the Westworld creators still have plenty they want to explore moving forward in the show.

However, this will rely on factors outside the creators’ control. Already, according to Entertainment Weekly, the opening figures for Season 2 are down from their Season 1 premiere. Season 1 of Westworld opened with 3.3 million viewers. Only three million of those returned for the Season 2 premiere.

It is unclear yet whether this number will pick up in the coming weeks, so fans will just have to wait for an official confirmation on a Season 3 renewal of Westworld. If it is renewed, fans will then likely have to wait another 18 months before Season 3 airs on HBO.

Season 2 of Westworld returns with Episode 2, titled “Reunion,” on Sunday, April 29, at 9 p.m. ET.