‘Westworld’ Isn’t Just Canceled, It’s Being Pulled from HBO Max — and There’s More

HBO Max is cleaning house again. After the Warner Bros. Discovery streamer removed over 60 titles from the platform without warning this August — many of which were originals developed for the service — a new batch of series are being prepped to be taken off in the next few days, sources have confirmed to IndieWire.

The most high-profile of these series is HBO’s “Westworld,” which was canceled this fall after falling ratings in Season 4. Other shows getting taken off include Victorian England sci-fi show “The Nevers,” and rom-com anthology series “Love Life.” In a similar vein to the Lionsgate series “Minx,” the pulling of these shows effectively doubles as their cancellation announcement. According to sources, other less-high profile titles will be announced to leave the service in the next few days.

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In addition, on December 9 Claudia Forestieri confirmed via Twitter that her series “Gordita Chronicles” would be taken off the platform soon. The coming-of-age comedy premiered on the service in June, and was canceled a month later.

Although the removal of HBO Max titles from the service is nothing new underneath the David Zaslav WBD regime, “Westworld” and “The Nevers” are two particularly surprising cases because they were produced for the HBO channel proper. According to sources, both shows may end up on a FAST channel (or a free service with ads) that Warner Bros. Discovery is working on developing as their plans to merge HBO Max and Discovery+ continue. These cuts also occur as WBD undergoes an end-of-year financial review.

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Prior to its cancellation, “The Nevers” aired “Season 1A” in 2021, with a six episode Season 1B expected to premiere later on. Production on the second half of the season, which will reportedly wrap up the storyline, has already occurred, and it’s unclear if the new episodes will premiere on the show’s new home. The series, which starred Laura Donnelly, Ann Skelly, and Olivia Williams as a trio of women working to support a superpowered underclass that emerges in Victorian England, has faced numerous difficulties during its run, from the pandemic halting filming to the departure of its creator Joss Whedon following allegations of workplace harassment on other projects.

“Love Life” is notable for being HBO Max’s very first original scripted series, premiering with the streamer in May 2020. Created by Sam Boyd, both seasons of the series focused on a different individual’s search for love. Season 1 starred Anna Kendrick as Darby Carter, while Season 2 was lead by William Jackson Harper as Marcus Watkins. The show received mostly positive reviews, with its second season being seen as an improvement on the first.

Deadline first reported the news of Westworld’s impending removal from HBO Max.

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