HBO and Warner Bros Discovery have already made some shocking choices in recent history. For example, they completely canceled the nearly-completed Batgirl movie that would have premiered on HBO Max. Now it appears that HBO has outright canceled one of its most popular shows in Westworld.
As noted via THR, “linear ratings for the pricey series fell off sharply for its third season, and then dropped even further for season four.” This appears to have been the result of fans complaining “that the show had become confusing and tangled in its mythology and lacked characters to root for.” Of course, this is disappointing for fans given that Westworld was actually intended to have a fifth season. This means that not only was Westworld canceled, but the series is now going to be incomplete compared to the creators’ intentions.
With that in mind, the fourth season does appear to act as a conclusion of sorts. So, for all intents and purposes, fans should now interpret that as the true series finale. Furthermore, HBO released the following statement regarding the cancellation of the show:
“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.”
Additionally, Kilter Films also released a statement. Here’s what they had to say regarding the show’s fate and what it meant to produce the show over the years:
“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.”
Of course, we’ve seen the Westworld brand in various iterations over the years. It seems more than likely that the property could come back to life at one point in the future. With that in mind, perhaps the fourth season won’t always be the end of Westworld.
We’ll just have to see what happens in the coming years. And whether or not fans have enough demand for another take on the high-concept tentpole series from HBO. In the meantime, viewers still have such shows as House of the Dragon and the upcoming series The Last of Us.