About halfway through the first episode of HBO’s polished new legal drama War, I understood why the series had already won me over. Premiering next Thursday, October 1, War is being promoted as a gritty divorce drama led by Dominic West and Sienna Miller. But it feels more like a The Good Wife spin-off dropped into the same universe as HBO’s cult favorite Industry. The result is a lavish, twist-filled legal thriller packed with addictive drama and incendiary performances. Most of all, War is pure entertainment—a decadent treat that leaves you eager for the next bite.
Created by Lupin and Hijack mastermind George Kay, War centers on two rival London law firms representing opposing sides in a fiercely contested case. The attorneys at Cathcarts & Sons operate within an intimidating legal dynasty, working from offices that look like the austere marble corridors of an Oxford library or an aristocrat’s mausoleum. Across the city, two of the firm’s brightest former protégés, Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox), have established their own practice. Their young, ambitious team works out of a sleek glass-and-steel office in Canary Wharf. Cathcarts power players St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) and Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi (Nina Sosanya) are fighting to uphold the prenup of social media mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West). His movie-star wife, Carla Duval (Sienna Miller), has hired Taylor & Byrne to force her unfaithful husband to surrender half of the billion-dollar company he created after their marriage.
Aspiring lawyer Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) is determined to break into this world of tailored suits, privilege and ruthless maneuvering. During his lunch breaks, he changes into a suit and tries to charm the stone-faced partners of London’s most prestigious firms, only to return to his job waiting tables afterward. His frustration is compounded by his relationship with Bella (Honor Swinton Byrne), who comes from the upper class and feels embarrassed that her attractive but less privileged boyfriend lacks the connections enjoyed by her snobbish childhood friends. So when an opportunity to join one of these elite firms unexpectedly appears, Johnny is prepared to do almost anything to claim it.
One of War’s greatest strengths is its willingness to overturn expectations. Familiar devices such as the honey trap and the office romance between married colleagues receive a sharp, modern twist. Instead of portraying Morgan and Carla as hollow narcissists gleefully destroying each other, the series gives both characters moments of genuine self-awareness and regret. Even the structure of the story is deliberately misleading. The marketing presents War as a personal battle between Morgan and Carla, but the deeper conflict lies between Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne. HBO and its British broadcast partner Sky have already commissioned a second season, now in production, with Marisa Tomei and Kelly Macdonald set to play rivals in a defamation case handled by the two opposing firms.
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War features an impressive roster of British talent, pairing rising stars such as Emma Laird with familiar television favorites including Nick Mohammed. Dominic West and Sienna Miller are both terrific in roles that playfully echo their public personas: he is cast as a charismatic rake, while she plays a glamorous actress. Yet they are occasionally eclipsed by the performers portraying their lawyers. Pip Torrens, best known as Queen Elizabeth II’s unflappable adviser Tommy Lascelles in The Crown, makes St. John both vicious and irresistible. He is a human dragon, stockpiling secrets instead of treasure and delivering devastating insults with effortless precision. Phoebe Fox is equally compelling as the driven Serena Byrne, whose appetite for professional success is rivaled only by her constant need to satisfy her pregnancy cravings with the nearest piece of junk food. Kay wrote Fox’s real-life pregnancy into the series, and watching Serena’s belly—and the pressure surrounding the case—grow in tandem is fascinating.
War is a rare series that knows how to deliver sophisticated fun. Its razor-sharp dialogue is filled with sly asides and cutting observations about class. The story moves quickly, with some of its most effective surprises arriving in the very first episode. Visually, the show is sumptuous: every setting feels expensive and immaculate, even as its characters remain complicated and grounded. It combines the polished legal storytelling of the Good Wife universe with the glossy yet morally murky London world of Industry.
HBO’s War is television heaven—an absolute joy to watch.
War premieres Thursday, October 1, on HBO and HBO Max.