HBO’s New 8-Part Legal Drama Debuts With Strong Rotten Tomatoes Score

A new legal drama is coming to HBO. War premieres on Thursday, Oct. 1. Ahead of its premiere, the series has already gotten some critical acclaim.

War currently has an 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with 12 verified reviews. An audience score has yet to be compiled, given the series is not out yet. The series was created by George Kay (Lupin, Criminal) and will also premiere in the UK on Oct. 2 on Sky Television.

What Is War About?

War is a legal drama following two of London’s most prestigious rival firms: Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne. The two firms often go head-to-head in a number of legal battles that make the headlines. According to the show’s logline, “Each side is certain they’ll win. But as cases spiral and loyalties fracture, reputations are on the line, and everyone’s playing to win.”

Season 1 of War features the two firms facing off in a scandalous divorce case between a tech entrepreneur and his movie star wife. Dominic West (The Wire, The Crown) plays Morgan Henderson, the high-profile tech mogul. And Sienna Miller (Anatomy of a Scandal) plays Carla Duval, a famous international movie star and Morgan’s wife.

Other series stars include Phoebe Fox (The Great) as Serena Byrne, a partner at Taylor & Byrne; James McArdle (Andor) as Nicholas Taylor, another Taylor & Byrne partner and Serena’s husband; Pip Torrens (The Crown) as St. John Smallwood, a partner at Cathcarts; and Nina Sosanya (Last Tango in Halifax) as Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi, a partner at Cathcarts.

War received a two-season order from HBO, and the second season will follow a defamation case. Season 2 of the courtroom drama is slated to star Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man), Kelly Macdonald (Lanterns), David Harewood (Homeland), and Richard Schiff (The West Wing).

What Are the Critics Saying About Season 1 of War?

Overall, critics are liking War, though there are a few negative reviews mixed in with all the positive. At CBR’s sister site, ScreenRant, Dani Kessel Odom wrote, “HBO’s War is a gloriously dramatic story of power struggles and betrayals that can only be described as Shakespearean.”

Deidre Johnson at The Wrap wrote, “Miller and West put in stellar performances as Carla and Morgan, two people that still have love for each other and appear to have regrets. Both actors are maturing in their craft and it shows.” Meghan O’Keefe at Decider said, “The show’s style is sublime: everything on screen feels luxurious and divine, while the characters are all drawn as complex, grounded people.”

However, among the negative reviews, Nick Schager at The Daily Beast said, “Merely a cornucopia of truisms in service of a painfully predictable tale about noxious characters doing noxious things for angry, selfish ends.” And Time Magazine’s Judy Berman wrote, “An anthology is supposed to be a collection of complete stories. War’s slick but shallow first outing is anything but.”

With an 83% critic score, though, War has been generally well-received. But it remains to be seen what audiences will think.

War premieres on HBO on Oct. 1.