War Season 1 Review: HBO’s Gripping Legal Drama Turns Divorce Into a Battle for Power

A divorce between two enormously wealthy people should, in theory, be little more than an expensive inconvenience. In War, it becomes something far more vicious.

HBO and Sky’s eight-part legal drama turns the breakup of tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson and international film star Carla Duval into a sprawling battle between two elite London law firms. As lawyers on both sides trade secrets, manipulate their clients and attempt to destroy their rivals, the case becomes less about reaching a settlement and more about winning at any cost.

Led by Dominic West and Sienna Miller, War makes an impressively confident debut. The pacing is brisk, the performances are strong, and the constant shifts in power make it remarkably difficult to predict where the story is heading.

Legal television has an intimidating history. Shows such as Better Call Saul and Suits have established expectations that are difficult for new dramas to meet. Yet War arrives with enough personality and dramatic momentum to stand comfortably alongside the genre’s more memorable recent offerings.

Created by George Kay, who also serves as an executive producer and lead writer, War has already been ordered for two seasons. The series uses an anthology structure, meaning each season will tell a different legal story with a new group of central characters.

For its first season, that structure works particularly well.

A Divorce That Feels Like a Shakespearean Power Struggle

War begins with the highly publicized divorce of Morgan Henderson and Carla Duval. Morgan is played by Dominic West, while Sienna Miller takes on the role of Carla.

Their respective legal teams come from two rival firms: Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne. The firms already have a history with one another, and their animosity quickly becomes almost as important as the divorce itself.

The result is a legal battle in which neither side seems particularly interested in playing fair.

That is one of War’s greatest strengths. The series embraces many of the ugliest stereotypes associated with lawyers: ambition, greed, manipulation and an almost pathological desire to win. Its attorneys routinely make questionable decisions and use people around them as pieces in a much larger game.

Rather than making the show difficult to watch, however, their behavior gives War much of its appeal. There is something deeply entertaining about watching powerful people attempt to outmaneuver one another while constantly making their own lives more complicated.

The show’s official premise similarly places the two rival firms at the center of a high-stakes divorce, with ambition and betrayal driving the conflict.

George Kay understands that the case itself does not have to involve physical danger for it to feel enormous.

Morgan and Carla are both wealthy enough to survive virtually any settlement suggested during the proceedings. Neither person’s future is genuinely threatened in the conventional sense. Yet the series consistently makes their divorce feel like a matter of survival.

That is achieved by moving between the lawyers and their clients, gradually revealing what each side knows and what each is willing to do with that information.

The structure recalls Damages, with perspectives shifting between opposing legal teams and the people caught in the middle. At the same time, War includes enough mundane legal detail, from documents being exchanged to junior attorneys being pushed to their limits, to give the heightened drama a believable foundation.

Then the series pushes everything toward melodrama.

Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne have developed a deep hatred for one another, although the origins of that hostility are not immediately clear. Their rivalry turns every development into another opportunity for retaliation.

The lawyers exploit their opponents’ weaknesses. The paparazzi add another layer of pressure. Morgan and Carla’s personal flaws become ammunition. Even relatively ordinary developments can feel monumental because everyone involved is constantly looking for an advantage.

At one point, Carla herself articulates the tragedy at the center of the story:

“I don’t understand how you can start so in love and end up so stuck, so humiliated, so determined to ruin each other.”

That idea ultimately defines War. The divorce is personal, but the lawyers transform it into a much larger contest over pride, power and control.

Dominic West and Sienna Miller Lead an Exceptional Cast

One of War’s biggest advantages is its casting.

Dominic West and Sienna Miller give Morgan and Carla enough emotional complexity to prevent them from becoming simple victims or villains. Both characters are deeply hurt by the collapse of their relationship, and both respond by hurting the other.

Their behavior can be ugly, but the performances preserve a sense that these are damaged people rather than irredeemable ones.

The rest of the cast is similarly strong.

Archie Renaux makes young lawyer Johnny Warren immediately compelling. Johnny’s position allows viewers to experience the legal world from a somewhat less established perspective as he becomes increasingly immersed in the ruthless culture surrounding him. Sky’s official materials identify Johnny as an ambitious young lawyer drawn into the conflict between the two firms.

Rose Williams has a smaller role and does not appear in even half of the episodes, but she makes an impression whenever she appears.

There are two recurring performances that feel less convincing: Aran Murphy as Gabe Duval and Shaheen Jafargholi as Saeed Masood. Neither actor gives a poor performance. Rather, their casting feels slightly less natural than that of the surrounding ensemble, which makes the difference more noticeable.

The actors portraying the legal teams are especially effective at making unpleasant characters entertaining.

Outside of the trainees, associates and paralegals, most of the show’s legal professionals are people who make terrible decisions and behave terribly toward one another. Yet the performances are strong enough that their cruelty becomes part of the entertainment.

Watching them devise increasingly underhanded ways to damage their rivals is often amusing, particularly when the other side reacts.

The Chemistry Makes the Rivalries Work

War’s casting works especially well because of the chemistry between its performers.

West and Miller establish a convincing relationship between Morgan and Carla, making it easy to believe that affection and resentment can exist simultaneously.

Elsewhere, Phoebe Fox and James McArdle create a believable dynamic as Serena Byrne and Nicholas Taylor. They are married as well as professional partners, attempting to keep Taylor & Byrne functioning while preparing to have a baby.

Their relationship carries the accumulated frustrations of a couple who have been together for some time. There is affection beneath the tension, but also resentment that has been allowed to build.

McArdle also works particularly well opposite Pip Torrens, with their characters’ history as former colleagues adding another dimension to the hostility between the two firms.

These relationships give War something beyond courtroom maneuvering. The legal battles matter because they are constantly connected to personal relationships that have already begun to fracture.

War Goes to Some Uncomfortable Places

The series occasionally pushes its characters into behavior that is difficult to watch.

Two moments stand out in particular. One involves a character deliberately making another person’s speech impediment worse. The other involves a child being used as a pawn during the divorce.

Both scenes are uncomfortable, but the performances make the show’s position on that behavior clear. War presents these actions as cruel and sinister rather than admirable.

That distinction matters because the series spends so much time showing people behaving badly. Its lawyers are frequently manipulative and unethical, but the drama does not appear to endorse their methods.

Instead, their behavior becomes another source of tension.

Eight Episodes Are Exactly Enough

The anthology format may ultimately be one of War’s smartest decisions.

Morgan and Carla’s story takes place over eight episodes, and the season uses that space effectively. A shorter six-episode run could have made the story feel compressed, while ten episodes might have introduced unnecessary material.

There are only a handful of scenes that feel as though they could have been removed without seriously affecting the narrative.

More importantly, the season reaches its conclusion without creating a pile of unanswered questions simply to justify another season.

That gives War a clean path forward.

Rather than stretching Morgan and Carla’s story beyond its natural endpoint, the anthology structure allows the series to leave these characters behind and begin another legal battle.

The second season is already part of the show’s two-season order, and production is underway. Marisa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald and David Harewood are set to lead the next installment, which will revolve around an explosive defamation case.

That approach gives George Kay room to change the setting, characters and central conflict without having to carry the baggage of the first season into the next.

Of course, that also creates a new challenge. War’s first season sets a remarkably high standard for whatever comes next.

War Season 1 Review: A Strong Start for HBO and Sky’s Legal Anthology

War takes a familiar television premise, wealthy people fighting through lawyers, and gives it enough speed, tension and personal venom to make it feel fresh.

Its legal world is filled with people who manipulate, betray and undermine one another. Its central divorce is surrounded by money, fame and publicity, while the two competing firms turn every development into another round in their long-running feud.

The drama occasionally crosses into uncomfortable territory, and a couple of supporting performances do not feel quite as well matched as the rest of the ensemble. But those weaknesses are relatively minor compared with what the season gets right.

West and Miller anchor the story with convincing emotional performances, while Fox, McArdle, Torrens, Renaux and the rest of the ensemble make the legal world increasingly difficult to look away from.

Most importantly, War understands when to stop.

Eight episodes are enough to tell Morgan and Carla’s story without exhausting it, leaving the anthology free to move on to a completely different case.

War season 1 premieres on October 1, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max, with the UK launch following on October 2 on Sky and NOW. New episodes are released weekly.

If the second season can maintain the same combination of sharp performances, personal betrayal and high-stakes legal maneuvering, War has the foundation for a long-running anthology with plenty of stories left to tell.