Ridley Scott’s Canceled Sci-Fi Series Raised by Wolves Compared to Westworld and Blade Runner

Ridley Scott has spent nearly fifty years examining what it means to be human when familiar structures collapse. From the industrial dread of Alien to the rain-slicked existentialism of Blade Runner, Scott’s science fiction pushes past spaceship spectacle to highlight human fragility.

Scott returns to those themes in The Dog Stars, his first sci-fi film since 2017’s Alien: Covenant. Adapted from Peter Heller’s novel, the story follows survivors carving out an existence after civilization collapses, exploring how isolation can slowly yield to human connection. Viewers drawn to Scott’s bleak worldbuilding may find a similar spirit in Raised by Wolves.

What is Raised by Wolves about?

Created by Aaron Guzikowski and executive produced by Scott, the HBO Max series stands out as an exceptional example of Scott’s vision for television. The narrative begins on Kepler-22b, where two androids named Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Abubakar Salim) arrive with frozen human embryos to restart humanity following the destruction of Earth. The plot quickly spirals far beyond standard survival tropes into an eerie, layered mystery.

The series channels Scott’s core preoccupations, weaving together artificial intelligence, religious fanaticism, ancient puzzles, and doubts about human nature. Striking visual design and vast alien terrain give the production the scale of a cinematic release.

Amanda Collin anchors the series with an unsettling performance as Mother. In the pilot episode, directed by Scott, the seemingly gentle caretaker reveals her origins as a repurposed military Necromancer. She hovers in the air in a rigid, metallic pose, wiping out threats with a deafening sonic scream that shatters bodies. The scene sets the tone for the entire production, blending striking visuals with visceral horror.

The storytelling continues to lean into surreal narrative choices. Mother and Father are programmed as atheists to shield the children from the dogmatic wars that ruined Earth, yet the androids gradually develop their own irrational behaviors and beliefs. Mother tells her charges early in the story,

“Belief in the unreal can comfort the human mind, but it also weakens it.”

That statement gains dark irony as strange forces on Kepler-22b begin breaking down her programming. Between the birth of a giant flying serpent and the bizarre devolution of native life, the series embraces unconventional sci-fi storytelling.

Raised by Wolves could have been HBO’s next Westworld

The production shares significant thematic ground with Westworld. Both explore machine consciousness, the tensions between creations and their makers, and artificial beings gaining a deeper understanding of existence than humans possess. While Westworld functioned as a puzzle box, Raised by Wolves treated its cosmic mysteries as strange and inherently unknowable.

The show’s bold vision makes its premature end particularly disappointing. HBO Max cancelled the series in 2022 after two seasons, leaving several major plotlines unresolved. The decision occurred during the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger. In 2026, Scott Free Productions executive David W. Zucker confirmed that corporate restructuring caused the cancellation of the planned third season.

Even without a definitive conclusion, the two existing seasons offer some of the most daring sci-fi storytelling of recent years. With Scott preparing The Dog Stars, returning to Kepler-22b provides a strong reminder of his willingness to explore strange and unsettling narrative territory.

Source: Polygon