This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

"WestWorld" (Sunday, 10 p.m., HBO) is based on the 1973 movie written and directed by Michael Crichton — but there are some major differences.

Not just that technology (and special effects) have advanced by leaps and bounds in the past 43 years.

Both incarnations of "WestWord" are about futuristic theme parks (sort of) where human guests can go to immerse themselves in the Old West. They interact with robots who are indistinguishable from humans.

In the 1973 movie, the robots go haywire and start killing humans.

This new, 10-hour series is more complicated. Something is going on with the robots (or "hosts," as they're known in WestWorld). They're becoming self-aware. And they're noticing the behavior of the humans (or "guests").

The series asks questions about what happens when the guests are freed of all their inhibitions. They can kill and rape without consequences because they're killing and raping hosts.

"WestWorld" is intriguing, but it gets off to a very slow start. Despite all the shootouts, very little happens in the first couple of episodes. They feel more like the first two hours of a 10-hour movie than the first two episodes in a 10-episode series.

The pace picks up a bit in Episodes 3 and 4; we get a few more clues about what's going on. But only a few.

"WestWorld" looks great. Production values are high. Southern Utah is one of the stars — the spectacular scenery is of Castle Value (near Moab).

And there are some very good performances from a cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton and Jeffrey Wright.

After watching four of 10 episodes, I'll tune in for Episode 5. But I'm still not sure whether "WestWorld" is worth the time investment.

• Also this weekend, the Cougar, Ute and Aggie football teams are all on TV — as is Real Salt Lake.

BYU hosts Toledo (8:15 p.m. Friday, ESPN2); Utah visits Cal (4 p.m. Saturday, P12N); and Utah State is on the road at Boise State (8:15 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2).

And RSL will try to break its four-game winless streak (and end its three-game scoring drought) on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes (8:30 p.m. Saturday, KMYU).

• And on "60 Minutes" (6 p.m. Sunday, CBS/Ch. 2), Nate Parker, the director and star of "The Birth of a Nation" — which won the grand jury prize and the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival back in January — talks to Anderson Cooper about the film and the 1999 rape charge of which he was acquitted.

Friday on TV …

• Women's college volleyball (6 p.m., P12N): UCLA at Utah

• "MacGyver" (7 p.m, CBS/Ch. 2): MacGyver and the team try to rescue Jack's former CIA partner/ex-girlfriend, who went missing in Venezuela,

• "Last Man Standing" (7 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Mandy and Kyle's wedding shower is on the same day as a big football game.

• "Hell's Kitchen" (7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): The contestants race in the first annual Crepe Grand Prix challenge.

• "Masters of Illusion" (7 p.m., CW/Ch. 30): Mark Bennick, Nathan Burton, Jason Bishop and Gizmo, Tom Burgoon, Naathan Phan, Jason Bird, Chris Randall, Tommy Wind and Greg Gleason perform. (Season finale)

• "Dr. Ken" (7:30 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Allison and Ken disagree on a diagnosis.

• "Hawaii Five-0" (8 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): The team works with a rogue MI-6 agent to find a terrorist planning to cause nuclear reactors across Europe to melt down.

• "Shark Tank" (8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Pitches include heat-and-eat paleo meals and a high-tech device for catching fish hooks.

• "Great Performances" (8 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): The Vienna Philharmonic's summer night concert at Austria's Schönbrunn Palace Gardens.

• "The Exorcist" (8 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Father Marcus escapes from Saint Aquinas and joins Father Tomas; bizarre ritual killings surface in Chicago's south side.

• "Quarry" (8 and 11 p.m., Cinemax): Mac and Joni hide out in a motel.

• "Elena of Avalor" (8:30 p.m., Disney): Elena learns that it is more important to do what is right than to fit in.

• "Blue Bloods (9 p.m, CBS/Ch. 2): Danny and Baez are determined to get justice for a traumatized young woman who does not want to press charges.

• The Hispanic Heritage Awards (9 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): The 29th annual event salutes the achievements of Hispanics in education, the arts, STEM (science, tech, engineering and math), sports and innovation. (Taped)

• "Liv & Maddie" (9 p.m., Disney): Liv lands a part on a hit show; Joey deals with relationship problems.

• "Bunk'd" (9:30 p.m., Disney): Luke takes Griff and Zuri on an adventure to prove he is responsible.

• "Z Nation" (10 p.m., Syfy): Warren and the team encounter the sole inhabitant of a strange town, while Murphy begins his new mission.

• "Van Helsing" (11 and 11:55 p.m., Syfy): A damaged power source leaves Vanessa and the survivors vulnerable to a vampire attack.

Saturday on TV …

• Women's college soccer (5:30 p.m., BYUtv): San Francisco at BYU

• "School of Rock" (7 p.m., Nick; 10 p.m., Nick 2): Lawrence causes a rift in the band.

• "Versailles" (8 p.m., Ovation): Young Louis XIV travels to Versailles after a revolt, makes big construction plans and tkes control of France. This opulent series is gorgeous to look at, but it's slow-moving and rather … um … dull.

• "Saturday Night Live" (10:30 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5): Margot Robbie hosts; The Weeknd performs. (Season premiere)

Sunday on TV …

• NFL: Seattle Seahawks at New York Jets (11 a.m., Fox/Ch. 13); Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2); Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers (2:20 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13); Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers (6:20 p.m., NBC/Ch. 5)

• Women's college soccer (2 p.m., P12N): Utah at Arizona

• "NCIS: Los Angeles" (7 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): The team investigates an abduction case; Hetty is questioned in the mole probe.

• "Once Upon a Time" (7 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Belle turns to Hook for help; the Evil Queen tries to persuade Zelena to align with her.

• "The Simpsons" (7 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Mr. Burns hires the Simpsons — with the exception of Homer — to play his virtual-reality family; Homer befriends the new next-door neighbor.

• "Son of Zorn" (7:30 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Zorn goes on a rampage after hot sauce is stolen from the break room.

• "Madam Secretary" (8 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): At the end of Season 2 back in May, President Dalton was all set to name Elizabeth as his re-election running mate. In the Season 3 premiere … well, let's just say there are some major developments on that front.

• "Secrets and Lies" (8 p.m., ABC/Ch. 4): Cornell pursues Eric as her prime suspect. Of course.

• "Poldark" (8 and 11 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): George launches Plan B against Ross; Jud pays a high price for his treachery; Demelza shares difficult news.

• "Family Guy" (8 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Chris becomes an ace baseball pitcher; Peter starts gambling on this games.

• "Last Man on Earth" (8:30 p.m., Fox/Ch. 13): Todd is filled with remorse, so Phil tries to boost his morale.

• "Elementary" (9 p.m., CBS/Ch. 2): A serial bomber becomes active again after six years. (Season premiere)

• "Quantico" (9 p.m., ABC/ Ch. 4): Alex and Ryan try to work out their new relationship; in the future, Ryan and Raina try to disrupt the terrorist plot.

• "Indian Summers" (9 p.m., PBS/Ch. 7): Ralph's plans go awry; Sooni confronts Aafrin.

• "Fear the Walking Dead" (10 p.m., AMC): Travis is blindsided by new refugees at the hotel.

• "Shameless" (10 p.m., Showtime): Frank wakes up after a month-long coma to find no one missed him. (Season premiere)

• "Ash vs. Evil Dead" (10 p.m., Starz): Ash, Pablo and Kelly are summoned back to Ash's hometown by Ruby. (Season premiere)

• "The Strain" (11 p.m., FX): Fet strikes the strigoi army at its heart; Justine tries to drive it out of Manhattan for good.

• "Masters of Sex" (11 p.m., Showtime): Johnson, Masters, Libby and Keller wind up at a party; the following day, consequences abound.

• "Blunt Talk" (11:35 p.m., Starz): Walter rekindles a romance. (Season premiere)