HBO has unexpectedly pulled the plug on what was considered one of its highest-profile series — Westworld. The program was based on the 1973 sci-fi flick of the same name, written and directed by Michael Crichton. The first season was almost entirely set in a virtual amusement park inhabited by robotic “hosts” that indulged the fantasies of its wealthy visitors. However, some of these artificial intelligences soon began to develop free will, leading to problems for Westworld’s owners, Delos Inc. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy co-created the series. J.J. Abrams served as executive producer.
Westworld was thought to be the successor to HBO’s greatest achievement, Game of Thrones, and like that program, Westworld was a critical darling and a ratings hit with viewers. Over the course of the first three seasons, the show racked up 54 Emmy nominations, with Thandiwe Newton winning Best Supporting Actress in 2018. The first and second seasons each won over 20 Emmys a piece.
But it appears that ratings slipped for the third and fourth seasons — from 12 million viewers at its high to just four million. It doesn’t help that due to the complex storylines and extensive CGI, there were roughly two-year gaps between seasons. The budget for Season 1 was estimated to be $100 million for eight episodes. This was very high by 2016 standards. Season 4, also eight episodes, is estimated to have cost roughly $160 million. But the four million viewers don’t justify that expense.
HBO announced:
“Over the past four seasons, Lisa and [Jonathan] have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step. We are tremendously 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’s been a thrill to join them on this journey.”
(You may notice the brackets around the name of co-creator Jonathan Nolan’s name. That’s because, in their statement, HBO spelled his name “Jonah.” OUCH!!!)
Ready to Leave Westworld
Nolan and Joy had already signed an agreement to oversee Westworld through a sixth season. However, just last month, Nolan expressed that he would be happy just to get a fifth and final season to wrap the stories up.
“We always planned for a fifth and final season. We are still in conversations with the network. We very much hope to make them.”
It appears that Nolan and Joy have moved on to Amazon Prime Video. Their series The Peripheral just debuted. They are also set to deliver another ambitious program based on the video game Fallout.
In addition to Newton, the cast of Westworld included Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, Angela Sarafyan, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, James Marsden, and Aaron Paul. Previous cast members included Anthony Hopkins, Simon Quarterman, and Shannon Woodward.
It has been reported that “the core cast” (most likely Wood, Newton, Wright, Harris, Thompson, and Paul, at least) will still be paid for the fifth season, even though it won’t be made.
Are you shocked or upset that HBO Has axed Westworld? Or had you, like three-fourths of the audience, already tuned out?
