It’s become more common to see television shows canceled by both TV networks and streaming services like Netflix. Though HBO recently made a decision to cancel a fan-favorite series after a mere two seasons. Naturally, fans are shocked, especially as the second season just came to a close.
As shared via THR, HBO has cancelled the series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. The news was shared “only moments after the network aired the second-season finale Sunday night.” In addition, not only were fans shocked, but even co-creator Max Borenstein seemed surprised by the news.
“Not the ending that we had in mind,” Borenstein shared. But he still noted how grateful he was. This was noted in his below tweet shared via X:
Not the ending that we had in mind.
But nothing but gratitude and love. #winningtime— Max Borenstein (@MAXBORENSTEIN) September 18, 2023
An additional post was shared by director Salli Richardson on Instagram. Similarly, they were clearly upset by the cancellation, though grateful for the experience to have worked on the show.
“When you give it everything you’ve got, you can have no regrets. I hope you enjoy the last episode of @winningtimehbo I am sure I will do many more hours of TV and hopefully many features in my future, but I can say that at this moment in time I am most proud of the work we did on this masterful show.”
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It’s obvious that everyone involved, including fans, were hoping for a third season. Especially as the series aimed to tell the tale of Jerry Buss’ first year as owner of the Lakers. Furthermore, it would have tackled their rise to fame throughout the 1980s. Though the second season had the opportunity to delve more into this period, a third season would have been more than welcome.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional HBO news as we have it. Fans can currently stream Winning Time via Max.