15 shows to watch if you like Game of Thrones
By Sundi Rose
Westworld — HBO
What it is: Westworld is a show about an escapist park of the same name. Super rich folks purchase an experience for the park and are transported to a virtual reality that resembles the 19th century American West. Visitors can live out their human fantasies through robotic consciousness while they are “looked over” by robotic hosts.
The show exists in two timelines; one in the park with the hosts and patrons, and another in the lab in which Westworld is created. Billed as a “dark odyssey follows the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin” by HBO, it stars Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden and Thandie Newton.
Why you’ll like it: Like Game of Thrones, this series takes place in a setting that seems familiar, but in which anything can happen. Neither series is bound to the rules of reality or disbelief, because they’ve established their worlds outside the limits of what we know to be true. Anything goes in Westworld (as long as the patrons can afford it), so nothing is out of bounds.
Aside from all the pesky problem of “suspending our disbelief,” Westworld’s costuming game is strong. The park aims for authenticity, so costume designers strive for gorgeous details and immaculate fit. I’ve never wanted to work in a saloon so badly until I saw Thandie Newton rock that corset.
How to find it: Seasons 1 and 2 are on HBO Go.