Cancelation is bad enough, but what if your entire existence was to be quickly wiped from existence like Westworld? The HBO original is set for a fate far worse than cancelation according to a new report.
Westworld had been a sleeping giant of television following its groundbreaking first season. The expertly written series stunned audiences in 2016 when it took an already strong Michael Crichton original novel and reinvented it for the 21st century. The series arguably collapsed in on itself as it got more and more complex, with its fourth and final season not hitting the same notes the first two had.
Those who were looking to jump back on the horse or hardcore fans wanting to revisit it won’t be finding much joy, with it being completely removed from the HBO Max streaming service. Alongside The Nevers, it’s clear HBO Max’s inadequacies and controversies from August 2022 are far from over yet. The banner year for screw-ups across Warner Bros. Discovery has seen them happily get rid of a nine-time Emmy-Award winning series.
CEO David Zaslav has made it his mission to recuperate losses accrued during the pandemic era, but it isn’t as simple as WBD getting rid of Westworld entirely. Deadline reports both shows will be offered spots on free ad-supported streaming television (FAST), which would likely mean a service like Pluto TV, Tubi, or Peacock.
Given the big budget nature of Westworld — which was often tipped to be the next Game of Thrones — putting it onto a FAST feels massively detrimental and unfitting of its stature. Other potential options could be for giants like Netflix or Apple TV Plus to pick it up, especially given how desperate Warner Bros. seem to be to offload it.
Westworld’s co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathon Nolan are currently collaborating on the Fallout adaptation for Amazon Prime Video, which could hint at Westworld’s next home.
Published: Dec 12, 2022 07:24 pm