Although HBO still hasn't confirmed the renewal of Westworld season 5, co-creator Jonathan Nolan revealed it would serve as the series' conclusion if it gets made – here's why this is good. Throughout Westworld seasons 1 to 4, humans and hosts have fought for control over the other species. While the neo-Western science-fiction TV show started with humans violently exerting control over hosts in Delos-owned WestWorld park, the Westworld season 3 finale changed things, leading to a world established by Charlotte Hale where humans and hosts coexisted, with the hosts now controlling the humans.
However, as Westworld season 4 also brought the host version of William to effectively start the apocalypse with his command to overrule Hale's world order and incite the human population to give in to their most violent urges, it would make sense for Westworld season 5 to be the last. From a narrative perspective, Westworld season 4's ending set up the perfect epilogue for the sci-fi series in a potential season 5, as Dolores/Christina (Evan Rachel Wood) decided to give humanity one last chance to prove themselves worthy of existing in the Sublime. Westworld ending with season 5 would also make sense rating-wise, as season 4's story was highly praised, but its viewership numbers dropped considerably. Renewing Westworld for more than one season wouldn't really make sense for HBO as things stand. However, renewing it for one more season to let all of Westworld's loose ends wrap up would neatly conclude the neo-Western sci-fi show.
Will Westworld Season 5 Happen?
At the time of writing, HBO still hasn't renewed Westworld for its fifth and final season. In the past, HBO tended to renew Westworld while the current season was airing, but the recent merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. into Warner Bros. Discovery and the sudden cancelations of some of the shows might risk Westworld's fate. However, co-creator Jonathan Nolan sounded hopeful at New York Comic Con when asked about it on October 8, saying that conversations with HBO are ongoing and that they had "always planned for a fifth and final season."
What Needs To Happen Before Westworld Ends
Westworld season 4 finale proved as apocalyptic as it was hopeful, considering that between forgetting about humanity and just moving to the Sublime or trying and replicating it there following an unspecified test, Dolores chose the latter. What Westworld season 5 must necessarily answer is what test Dolores will pose to humans. After all, she already stated she remembered everything, and she spent 23 years studying humanity in Charlotte Hale's simulation. Dolores could easily imagine - and thus create - humans based on her memories. This would give humanity a chance not to go extinct in Westworld season 5 by putting their consciousness into host bodies, something tried by and failed by both Delos and Hale. However, Dolores could succeed in this plan by doing things her way in the Sublime.
Another thing Westworld season 5 must also fill the audiences in on is the fate of many of its hosts, whether they had already moved to the Sublime in previous seasons or died on Earth. After all, Westworld season 4 established via Dolores' monologue that hosts on Earth were victims of human violence, effectively ending all sentient life on Earth. While the Outliers weren't affected by William's command, she explained that they would be dead in months or years. However, Dolores/Christina remembering anyone in Westworld, host or human, meant that anybody could be created in the Sublime, even hosts whose Control Unit was destroyed (like Hale's or the Man in Black's), making anyone's return possible. Hopefully, Westworld season 5 will finally be renewed by HBO and answer these questions while also giving the sci-fi TV show the spectacular ending it deserves.