HBO cancels Westworld
HBO has canceled Westworld, the sci-fi drama centered around a robotic theme park.
The decision to cancel the show was made after considering a number of factors, including the production's high cost, declining viewership, and an ongoing review of all programming at HBO's new parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
The business has been cutting costs as part of a strategy to implement $3.5 billion in cost-saving synergies over the following three years following the merger in April. Despite a disappointing third-quarter earnings report, HBO has several high-profile, big-budget dramas that demonstrate the premium cabler isn't generally cutting back, including 'House of the Dragon', 'Euphoria', and the upcoming 'The Last of Us' adaptation.
Based on the 1973 Michael Crichton novel of the same name, Westworld aired in October 2016 and starred Tessa Thompson, Aaron Paul, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris and others.
The show was executive produced by Nolan and Joy along with Abrams, Alison Schapker, Denise Thé, Athena Wickham, Richard J. Lewis, and Ben Stephenson.
Westworld received 54 Emmy nominations and won nine of them, including Newton's award for best supporting actress in a drama series in 2018.