"Westworld” and the Dawn of Baroque TV

Part of the thrill of our New Golden Age of Television has been discovering incredible shows in places one wouldn’t have previously thought to look: streaming services, formerly niche channels, YouTube. With so many options, it’s a bit exhausting when a show arrives demanding to be recognized as the next big thing. Westworld—the 1973 sci-fi Western reboot that premiered on October 2 on HBO—clearly aims for nothing less. So far seems it seems to be succeeding in, at least, capturing viewers’ attention. But watching the first few episodes, with its elaborate and self-reflexive setup, I couldn’t help wondering: is Westworld a sign that Prestige TV has entered its Baroque phase?