HBO’s ‘War’ Will Commence In October
Dominic West and Sienna Miller face off in our first look at the buzzy legal drama.
War is hell, they say, but so is a bad break-up. That seems to be the general gist of HBO’s buzzy new legal drama — appropriately titled War — that’s headed to our screens this autumn, with a big cast and even bigger hopes for success behind it.
(The cable network could really use a similarly prestige courtroom drama to help fill in during the months The Pitt’s off the air, is what we’re saying.)
The first season of the anthology series, which presumably follows the rivalry between two of London’s most powerful law firms, will star Dominic West (The Crown) as tech entrepreneur Moran Henderson and Sienna Miller (Anatomy of a Scandal) as film star Carla Duval, a married couple in the midst of a high-profile and acrimonious divorce.
The pair are represented by powerhouse firms Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne, respectively, and the messy, very public end to their marriage draws young lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren (Archie Renaux) into a ruthless world where ambition is currency, betrayal is strategy, and winning is everything. If the first teaser trailer is anything to go by, no one is pulling any punches in this battle royale.
War has already been greenlit for a second season, which is set to star Kelly Macdonald (Line of Duty), David Harewood (The Agency), and Marisa Tomei (The Handmaid’s Tale). The story’s next headline-making legal battle will see their lawyers become embroiled in an explosive defamation case.
Here’s the Season 1 synopsis.
WAR is a high-stakes, legal drama following the lives of London’s most powerful lawyers as firms Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne clash over a headline-grabbing legal battle, drawing ambitious young lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren into a ruthless world where ambition is currency, betrayal is strategy, and winning is everything. Season one follows the explosive divorce of British tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson and international film star Carla Duval, as Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne stop at nothing to secure victory for their clients.
James McArdle, Phoebe Fox, Sienna Miller, Nina Sosanya, Pip Torrens, and Dominic West in 'War' Season 1 (HBO)
Alongside West, Miller, and Renaux, the series’ main cast also features Phoebe Fox (The Great) as Serena Byrne and James McArdle (Playing Nice) as Nicholas Taylor, partners in life and business at Taylor & Byrne, with Nina Sosanya (Good Omens) as Beatrice Ubosi and Pip Torrens (Down Cemetery Road) as St John Smallwood, their counterparts and fierce rivals at Cathcarts & Sons.
The star-studded ensemble includes Celia Imrie (The Thursday Murder Club), Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso), Emma Laird (Mint), Archie Panjabi (Doctor Who), Adrian Scarborough (The Chelsea Detective), Shaheen Jafargholi (Lost Boys & Fairies), Akiya Henry (Protection), Honor Swinton Byrne (A Very Royal Scandal), Miles Jupp (Belgravia: The Next Chapter), Kartanya Maynard (Deadloch), Alexandra Mardell (Smoggie Queens), Dylan Edwards (The Long Call), Mark Quartley (The Marlow Murder Club), Steve Furst (The Serpent Queen), and Aran Murphy (Klara and the Sun).
The series is created and written by George Kay (Hijack), with Ben Taylor (Sex Education) as lead director. Kay also executive produces, alongside Willow Grylls and Matt Sandford for New Pictures, and Susan Breen, Ben Taylor, Andrea Dewsbury, and Megan Spanjian for Sky. The series producer is Laurie Borg.
War will premiere on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max on Thursday, October 1, 2026, with new episodes debuting weekly on Thursdays.
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