George Kay’s new eight-episode drama stars Sienna Miller and Dominic West as a celebrity couple whose divorce sets two powerful London law firms against each other.

HBO’s new legal drama War has arrived, putting a bitter, high-profile divorce at the center of an eight-episode battle between two rival London law firms.

The series premiered October 1, with new episodes scheduled weekly. Created by George Kay, the writer and creator behind Lupin and Hijack, War stars Sienna Miller as movie star Carla Duval and Dominic West as tech mogul Morgan Henderson.

But the marriage breakdown is only the starting point. The real conflict unfolds between Cathcarts & Sons, a traditional elite firm, and the more modern Taylor & Byrne, as their lawyers turn the divorce into an increasingly complicated legal contest.

Sienna Miller and Dominic West lead the divorce drama

Carla and Morgan are a wealthy, powerful couple whose relationship has deteriorated to the point of divorce. Each brings a formidable legal team into the fight, transforming their private conflict into a public and highly strategic battle.

Miller’s Carla is represented by Taylor & Byrne, while West’s Morgan turns to Cathcarts & Sons. The opposing firms bring very different personalities and approaches to the case, giving the series a second layer of conflict beyond the marriage itself.

The supporting cast includes Phoebe Fox as Serena Byrne, James McArdle as Nicholas Taylor, Nina Sosanya as Beatrice Ubosi and Pip Torrens as St. John Smallwood. Archie Renaux also plays ambitious young lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren.

Johnny becomes particularly important as the story develops. The premiere establishes him as an aspiring lawyer trying to enter London’s elite legal world, while later events reveal that his position inside one firm is considerably more complicated than it first appears.

Early reviews point to style, performances and sharp legal maneuvering

Early critical reaction has generally been positive, although reviewers have not been unanimous about the show’s pacing.

As of October 3, War holds an 86% Tomatometer score from 14 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.0/10 among the reviews that include numerical scores.

The Los Angeles Times described the series as a drama about divorce that is ultimately more interested in the lawyers fighting around it than the breakup itself.

The Guardian praised the show’s performances and described its approach as deliberately glossy and heightened, while TheWrap highlighted the cast and dialogue but noted that the large number of characters and subplots can make the story feel slower and more sprawling.

RogerEbert.com’s review offered a more mixed assessment of the opening stretch, arguing that the series takes time to find its identity but becomes stronger as the season progresses.

That split is useful context for viewers approaching the series. The early consensus is not simply that War is another conventional courtroom drama. Its appeal appears to come from the combination of legal strategy, personal betrayal, class tension and the deliberately heightened world surrounding its wealthy characters.

The first season is built around one explosive case

HBO describes War as an eight-episode legal drama centered on London’s most powerful lawyers and the clash between Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne. The firms become locked into a headline-making legal battle while Johnny is pulled deeper into their world.

The series also uses the divorce to explore the lawyers themselves. Their professional ambitions and rivalries become increasingly important as the case creates opportunities for manipulation, betrayal and career advancement.

That gives War a structure that is broader than a simple husband-versus-wife story. The couple’s dispute provides the central case, but the lawyers are effectively competing on their own battlefield.

The premiere also introduces one of the show’s major complications involving Johnny. Without giving away the later twist, his attempt to establish himself in London’s legal elite quickly becomes entangled with the interests of the rival firm.

HBO has already planned beyond the first season

War was developed with a two-season commitment, meaning the first season’s divorce case is not intended to be the entire story of the anthology. HBO and Sky have already announced additional casting for Season 2, including Marisa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald and David Harewood.

The second season is expected to move the anthology into a different legal battle rather than simply continuing the same divorce case.

For now, the first season is rolling out weekly, with the premiere arriving October 1 and the second episode scheduled for October 8.

For viewers looking for a legal drama with a celebrity divorce at its center, War is positioning itself as something more complicated: part courtroom thriller, part relationship drama and part battle between competing legal empires.

HBO’s War Turns a High-Profile Divorce Into a Ruthless Legal Battle

George Kay’s new eight-episode drama stars Sienna Miller and Dominic West as a celebrity couple whose divorce sets two powerful London law firms against each other.

HBO’s new legal drama War has arrived, putting a bitter, high-profile divorce at the center of an eight-episode battle between two rival London law firms.

The series premiered October 1, with new episodes scheduled weekly. Created by George Kay, the writer and creator behind Lupin and Hijack, War stars Sienna Miller as movie star Carla Duval and Dominic West as tech mogul Morgan Henderson.

But the marriage breakdown is only the starting point. The real conflict unfolds between Cathcarts & Sons, a traditional elite firm, and the more modern Taylor & Byrne, as their lawyers turn the divorce into an increasingly complicated legal contest.

Sienna Miller and Dominic West lead the divorce drama

Carla and Morgan are a wealthy, powerful couple whose relationship has deteriorated to the point of divorce. Each brings a formidable legal team into the fight, transforming their private conflict into a public and highly strategic battle.

Miller’s Carla is represented by Taylor & Byrne, while West’s Morgan turns to Cathcarts & Sons. The opposing firms bring very different personalities and approaches to the case, giving the series a second layer of conflict beyond the marriage itself.

The supporting cast includes Phoebe Fox as Serena Byrne, James McArdle as Nicholas Taylor, Nina Sosanya as Beatrice Ubosi and Pip Torrens as St. John Smallwood. Archie Renaux also plays ambitious young lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren.

Johnny becomes particularly important as the story develops. The premiere establishes him as an aspiring lawyer trying to enter London’s elite legal world, while later events reveal that his position inside one firm is considerably more complicated than it first appears.

Early reviews point to style, performances and sharp legal maneuvering

Early critical reaction has generally been positive, although reviewers have not been unanimous about the show’s pacing.

As of October 3, War holds an 86% Tomatometer score from 14 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 8.0/10 among the reviews that include numerical scores.

The Los Angeles Times described the series as a drama about divorce that is ultimately more interested in the lawyers fighting around it than the breakup itself.

The Guardian praised the show’s performances and described its approach as deliberately glossy and heightened, while TheWrap highlighted the cast and dialogue but noted that the large number of characters and subplots can make the story feel slower and more sprawling.

RogerEbert.com’s review offered a more mixed assessment of the opening stretch, arguing that the series takes time to find its identity but becomes stronger as the season progresses.

That split is useful context for viewers approaching the series. The early consensus is not simply that War is another conventional courtroom drama. Its appeal appears to come from the combination of legal strategy, personal betrayal, class tension and the deliberately heightened world surrounding its wealthy characters.

The first season is built around one explosive case

HBO describes War as an eight-episode legal drama centered on London’s most powerful lawyers and the clash between Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne. The firms become locked into a headline-making legal battle while Johnny is pulled deeper into their world.

The series also uses the divorce to explore the lawyers themselves. Their professional ambitions and rivalries become increasingly important as the case creates opportunities for manipulation, betrayal and career advancement.

That gives War a structure that is broader than a simple husband-versus-wife story. The couple’s dispute provides the central case, but the lawyers are effectively competing on their own battlefield.

The premiere also introduces one of the show’s major complications involving Johnny. Without giving away the later twist, his attempt to establish himself in London’s legal elite quickly becomes entangled with the interests of the rival firm.

HBO has already planned beyond the first season

War was developed with a two-season commitment, meaning the first season’s divorce case is not intended to be the entire story of the anthology. HBO and Sky have already announced additional casting for Season 2, including Marisa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald and David Harewood.

The second season is expected to move the anthology into a different legal battle rather than simply continuing the same divorce case.

For now, the first season is rolling out weekly, with the premiere arriving October 1 and the second episode scheduled for October 8.

For viewers looking for a legal drama with a celebrity divorce at its center, War is positioning itself as something more complicated: part courtroom thriller, part relationship drama and part battle between competing legal empires.