Finally. HBO has made the long overdue decision to cancel Westworld. The ambitious but misguided series by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy got off to a hot start and was positioned as one of the network’s pillars, but quickly lost its way and the ratings fell off as a result.
The news does come out of nowhere, though. HBO had actually renewed Westworld for a fifth season that was expected to be the last, but it seems the new bosses at Warner Bros. Discovery felt differently after seeing the precipitous plunge in ratings.
Westworld is based on the 1973 film by Michael Crichton, and centers on a futuristic theme park populated with realistic robot hosts. The series expanded on this idea, chronicling a robot uprising against humanity. The impressive ensemble included Ed Harris, Thandiwe Newton, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Evan Rachel Wood, Aaron Paul, James Marsden, and many more.
Nolan and Joy aren’t hurting for work. They inked a development deal a few years ago with Amazon that has led to the recent sci-fi series, The Peripheral. The duo also teamed up for the Hugh Jackman thriller Reminiscence.
Like I said, this is long overdue. The show has felt directionless since season two and it’s doubtful that one more season to wrap things up would’ve helped. [Deadline]
I'm sorry for Westworld fans, but was this really a "shocking" decision? pic.twitter.com/1ZzKThBw1S
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) November 4, 2022