After four seasons, HBO has canceled the Emmy-winning, hit show Westworld. This news is surprising and unexpected considering the critical acclaim and popularity of the series.
The show racked up 54 Emmy nominations during its time on the air. However, according to THR the ratings for the third season fell dramatically and fell further during Season 4. Westworld also received more negative reviews as the seasons went on.
Season 4 of the hit sci-fi drama saw the return of the show’s primary actors, including Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, and Jeffrey Wright’s Bernard Lowe, after Season 3 left viewers with a lot of questions. This cancellation comes not long after the fourth season full of plot twists ended ambiguously.
Along with the lack of closure, this cancellation is surprising because according to the publication Westworld used to be one of HBO’s “tentpoles.”
The showrunner, Jonathan Nolan told an audience at New York Comic Con last month that he had “always planned for a fifth and final season.” He said he had hoped they would make the last season, and that they had been in conversations with the network. It’s sad to know that even though there was an ending in mind, it’s not something we will ever see.
The article also stated that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has committed to an aggressive cost-cutting mandate. However, according to insiders that did not impact the decision to cancel Westworld.
HBO released a statement saying it’s been a “thrill” to work on the series, and Kilter Films posted this statement:
Making Westworld has been one of the highlights of our careers. We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds. We’ve been privileged to tell these stories about the future of consciousness – both human and beyond – in the brief window of time before our AI overlords forbid us from doing so.
This news comes a few months after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. Following the merger, a lot of HBO Max content has disappeared, and many projects have been scrapped, including Batgirl before it could be released on HBO Max. Along with HBO Max other networks have been hit, causing the cancellations of Full Frontal with Samantha Bee after seven seasons, Tracy Morgan’s TBS comedy The Last O.G., and the TNT series Snowpiercer.
While HBO saw success on the fall TV schedule this year with the hit Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, Westworld did not have as big of an impact with Season 4. It’s a real bummer that the show won’t get closure, for both the creatives and the viewers. While there will not be a final season, you can still watch all four seasons of Westworld with an HBO Max subscription.
