The Home Box Office is putting its own spin on the legal drama. War — premiering tonight at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max — follows a bitter divorce between glamorous movie star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) and tech billionaire Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). The series splits its focus between the emotional toll this feud takes on the famous couple and the juicy drama that unfolds within the offices of their lawyers: the old school posh killers at Cathcarts & Sons and the chic modern upstarts at Taylor & Byrne.
WAR: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: It’s a fancy dinner. An emcee asks a crowd of wealthy guests to put their hands together for a benevolent social media tycoon. The camera starts by framing the man himself, Morgan Henderson, from behind before following him to the stage. When we first see Morgan, the lighting fixture above his head makes a halo.
The Gist: Morgan Henderson has it all: a successful business, a clear conscience, and billions in the bank. He also has a weakness for pretty brunettes who happen to be on his hotel room floor. Morgan hooks up with the lovely Flora Monroe (Rose Williams) unaware that she’s a friend of his wife Carla’s sent to test his fidelity. Armed with photographic proof of her husband’s cheating, Carla readies lawyers Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) to serve divorce papers. The only problem? Morgan sniffs her out first and runs to St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) and Beatrice Ubosi (Nina Sosanya) at Cathcarts. While the dueling sides prepare to go to “war,” aspiring attorney Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) uses his lunch breaks to pitch himself to various prestigious London law firms… unaware that he might have a key role to play in all this…
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? In my official War review, I noted that the show “feels like a spin-off of The Good Wife set in the same universe as HBO’s cult hit Industry.”
Our Take: War is a show that feels all at once fresh and familiar. We know the tropes of the honeypot, the ego-centric billionaire, the vain actress, scrappy junior lawyers, and imperious partners, but we’ve never seen them played out quite like this. War is a drama that hits the ground running and never pauses long enough to make you bored. The twists and turns start early and only get better as the season goes on. Even more exciting? The idea that HBO and their UK partner Sky have already ordered a second season following Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne’s next courtroom tussle: a defamation case between characters played by. Marisa Tomei and Kelly Macdonald.
Even though it a mainline HBO show (and not an HBO Max title), War feels weirdly like a sibling show to the streamer’s megahit, The Pitt. Just as The Pitt takes the best aspects of the medical drama genre and gives it extra oomph via its strong performances and elite writing, War elevates its sordid personal drama and wordy boardroom scenes with a fantastic cast, witty dialogue, and a luxurious sheen. (Oh, and it’s taking over The Pitt‘s usual Thursday night 9 PM slot!) It’s a fun, fantastically-made drama — and I bet if it was designed to be 15 episodes per season vs. its 8, it would be the official HBO Max legal drama answer to The Pitt.
Performance Worth Watching: War is chock full of the best and brightest British talent, but we’re especially thrilled that Phoebe Fox finally has a role to really gnash her teeth into in the ruthless, ambitious, and pregnant Serena Byrne.
Sex And Skin: Morgan and Flora definitely get it on, though the real nudity doesn’t come until later in the season.
Parting Shot: Morgan and Carla fake smile for the cameras on the red carpet, even though an emotional and legal (and very spoiler-y!) bomb has just gone off.
Our Call: STREAM IT! Whether you’ve been missing the wealth porn of The White Lotus or yearning for a great new drama to tear into, War is your next piece of Thursday night TV bliss.
Meghan O’Keefe is Senior Critic at Decider.
