HBO has recently been able to disappoint many viewers with a series of cancellations. Now fans of “Westworld” will be among them. The network announced today that it is canceling the sci-fi drama after four seasons. The show just aired its season four finale in August.
HBO, in a prepared statement, said: “Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-blowing odyssey, raising the bar every step of the way. We are immensely grateful to them, along with their immensely talented cast, producers and crew, and all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television, it was a thrill to join them on this journey.”
Created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, “Westworld” had the potential to become the network’s next “Game of Thrones.” At least in the beginning. The series earned nine Emmys and starred Evan Rachel Wood, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Thandiwe Newton, Luke Hemsworth and Aaron Paul.
But unfortunately “Westworld” will never get the fifth season nolan hoped for.
It’s likely the network made the decision after seeing ratings for “Westworld” drop and fall. For example, the third season only attracted 1.8 million viewers across multiple platforms for the Season 3 finale, an 18% drop from the last episode of Season 2. the cover.
Fans and critics alike expected the failure. One Twitter user said, “I won’t pretend I didn’t see this coming.”
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who has been cutting costs for months, has postponed the highly anticipated DC movie “Batgirl” and canceled several shows that were deemed unsuccessful.
“We carefully measure how the shows are going,” Zaslav said in the earnings call yesterday. “Let me be very clear, we didn’t get rid of a single show that helps us… It’s a failure, but we’d rather take that money and re-spend it and have a shot at a show that will appeal and joy.”
Zaslav also noted that the company would focus on popular franchises, including “Superman,” “Harry Potter” and “Game of Thrones.” He has been particularly vocal about improving the DC slate. The company even brought in Marvel filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran as DC Studios’ new co-chairs and chief executive officers.
After Warner Bros. Discovery missed expectations yesterday, the company is likely feeling the pressure to deliver better content as it gears up to launch its combined HBO Max/Discovery+ streaming service next year.