A tech billionaire and a movie star are tearing each other apart in a London courtroom, and two rival law firms are happy to help — for a price. War has become one of the most talked-about legal dramas of the year, and with six episodes now streaming, the divorce battle between Morgan Henderson and Carla Duval has already delivered honey traps, leaked documents, a kiss that should not have happened, and one very expensive prenup fight. Here is a complete, spoiler-filled breakdown of the release schedule, episode recaps, cast details, and everything worth knowing before you press play.
What Is War About?
War is an eight-part legal drama created by George Kay, the writer behind Lupin and Hijack. The series is set inside two of London’s most prestigious rival law firms: Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne. The first season follows the explosive divorce of British tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) and international film star Carla Duval (Sienna Miller). A young lawyer named Jonathan “Johnny” Warren (Archie Renaux) is pulled into the middle of the fight, and he quickly learns that ambition, betrayal, and winning are the only currencies that matter in this world.
Full Release Schedule for War Season 1
War premiered in the United States on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max. New episodes drop weekly on Thursday nights, with the season finale scheduled for November 19, 2026.
In the United Kingdom, the series launched on Sky and NOW on Friday, October 2, 2026, with episodes arriving one day after the U.S. broadcast.
In India, War streams on JioHotstar, with new episodes released every Saturday at 8 AM IST.
Here is the full episode schedule for the U.S. and India:
- Episode 1, “It’s Done” — U.S.: October 1, 2026; India: October 2, 2026
- Episode 2, “No More Nasty Surprises” — U.S.: October 8, 2026; India: October 10, 2026
- Episode 3, “Chip Off the Block” — U.S.: October 15, 2026; India: October 17, 2026
- Episode 4, “Sing” — U.S.: October 22, 2026; India: October 24, 2026
- Episode 5, “Every Little Thing She Does” — U.S.: October 29, 2026; India: October 31, 2026
- Episode 6, “The Simple Act of Paying Attention” — U.S.: November 5, 2026; India: November 7, 2026
- Episode 7 — U.S.: November 12, 2026; India: November 14, 2026
- Episode 8 (season finale) — U.S.: November 19, 2026; India: November 21, 2026
For viewers in Canada, War streams on Crave with weekly episodes. In Australia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, France, and Belgium, the series is available on HBO Max.
Episode 1 Recap: “It’s Done”
The premiere opens with Morgan Henderson receiving a Pioneer of the Year award for reshaping the social media landscape. What he does not know is that his wife, Carla Duval, has already set a plan in motion. Carla arranges for a young actress named Flora Monroe to seduce Morgan in a honey trap, and Morgan falls for it. The episode then builds toward a red carpet premiere, where divorce papers are delivered in the most visible setting possible. The marriage is over, and both sides immediately begin building their war rooms. The closing moments also reveal that Johnny Warren, a new hire at Taylor & Byrne, is secretly feeding information to Cathcarts & Sons — he is the mole.
Episode 2 Recap: “No More Nasty Surprises”
The second episode slows the pace and moves the fight into a three-day mediation period. Morgan and Carla are instructed to smile, hold hands, and pretend everything is civil while their lawyers work behind the scenes. Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) tries to get Flora Monroe to sign a non-disclosure agreement, but Flora is insulted by the offer and refuses. The bigger problem is Johnny, who is secretly working for both firms and passing information about Serena’s NDA offer to Cathcarts. The episode ends with Flora texting Morgan, a move that suggests she may have her own agenda.
Episode 3 Recap: “Chip Off the Block”
Carla tells her son Gabriel “Gabe” Duval (Aran Murphy) about the divorce without informing Morgan, and Morgan is devastated. Taylor & Byrne launch a serious effort to tear up the prenup that protects Morgan’s fortune, arguing that Carla did not fully understand what she was signing. Morgan makes a secret pact to protect himself, and Johnny grows closer to Carla. The episode also puts Gabe in the middle of the fight, as both legal teams begin to see him as a useful piece on the board. Gabe briefly goes missing, and Johnny helps search for him.
Episode 4 Recap: “Sing”
Arbitration begins, and the numbers are very far apart. Morgan’s team offers £45 million, while Carla’s side is seeking £500 million. The episode’s emotional core belongs to Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle), who is humiliated by St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) with the nickname “Singer.” The show reveals that Nick once had a stress-induced stammer and was taught to sing through it, and Smallwood uses that knowledge as a weapon. Nick eventually stands up to Smallwood and pushes for a Mareva injunction to stop Morgan from moving assets. Johnny copies Taylor & Byrne’s financial information and passes it to Cathcarts, and at the end of the episode, Carla kisses Johnny.
Episode 5 Recap: “Every Little Thing She Does”
The divorce goes public in a big way. Carla appears on a talk show, is told to keep things quiet, and then melts down when the host speaks kindly about Morgan. She calls Morgan a liar and turns on the audience when they boo her. Morgan tries to repair things with Gabe over dinner, but paparazzi photos make the meeting look like a publicity stunt, and Gabe turns on him. Johnny and Carla sleep together, and the next morning Carla tells him it was a mistake. The episode ends with Carla remembering a small detail about Zephyr, Morgan’s company, that gives her lawyers a new reason to keep fighting.
Episode 6 Recap: “The Simple Act of Paying Attention”
Paranoia takes over Taylor & Byrne. Molly Giordano (Emma Laird) discovers a troubling error in the office, and Johnny immediately tries to play it down. Serena and Nick start pressing the staff with questions, and the pressure of the divorce case begins to spill into the firm itself. A cornered Johnny resorts to desperate measures to protect his position, but just as he thinks he is safe, a fatal error puts everything back on the line before both sides head to court for day one. The episode also reveals that barrister David Schill (Miles Jupp) has a premature baby in the hospital, a detail that adds pressure to his already fragile position.
The Cast and Characters
War is led by Dominic West as Morgan Henderson and Sienna Miller as Carla Duval. The two actors have been friends for more than two decades, and they told PEOPLE that playing enemies was part of the fun.
“I think the more you love someone off screen, the more fun it is to hate them on screen. So we had a lot of fun being this couple,” Sienna Miller said. Dominic West added, “[It] was great fun hating each other and saying horrible things to each other.”
The supporting cast includes Phoebe Fox as Serena Byrne, James McArdle as Nicholas Taylor, Archie Renaux as Jonathan “Johnny” Warren, Nina Sosanya as Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi, Pip Torrens as St John Smallwood, Celia Imrie as Joy “Budgie” Budge, Nick Mohammed as Michael Stefanou, Emma Laird as Molly Giordano, and Rose Williams as Flora Monroe.
Where to Watch War Around the World
- United States: HBO and HBO Max, Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET
- United Kingdom: Sky and NOW, Fridays
- Canada: Crave, weekly
- India: JioHotstar, Saturdays at 8 AM IST
- Australia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, France, Belgium: HBO Max
- Germany, Switzerland, Austria: Sky and WOW
- Italy: Sky and NOW
What to Know Before Watching
The first season of War is built on a simple but effective engine: a very rich couple with very dirty secrets, and two law firms that will do almost anything to win. The prenup fight is the spine of the season, but the show’s real tension comes from Johnny Warren’s double role. He is a mole for Cathcarts, a rising star at Taylor & Byrne, and a man developing feelings for the client he is supposed to be helping to destroy. That triangle is the reason the show keeps moving even when the legal arguments slow down.
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The series was ordered for two seasons before the first season even premiered. Season 2 will focus on a different legal battle, a defamation case, and will bring in Marisa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald, and David Harewood. The same legal teams will return, which means the fallout from the Henderson-Duval divorce will likely follow the lawyers into their next fight.
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