In early November, HBO canceled its original show "Westworld." Now, according to multiple news outlets such as The Verge, Deadline, Variety, and HypeBeast, the streaming platform is planning to completely remove the back catalog of the show.
Currently, it is unclear when HBO Max will remove the show. According to The Verge, other shows such as "Love Life" and "The Nevers" will also be pulled off from the streaming platform.
Based on the report of the news outlet, all shows are still available on the service when they check on Monday evening.
Report Says 'Westworld' Might Resurface on Other Company Platforms
The entertainment company has been cutting down on spending. Over the next three years post-April merger, the company is set out to find $3.5 billion in cost-saving synergies.
As per Variety, Warner Bros. Discovery's cost savings occur as the entertainment company cuts off residual payments to the cast and crew of productions. This is on top of the money which will be saved by not continuing the show.
Despite the rough third-quarter earnings report, CEO David Zaslav keeps on highlighting the importance of healthy content spending.
With this, HBO remains to have multiple big-budget dramas, including "House of the Dragon," "Euphoria" and the upcoming "The Last of Us" adaptation.
In the past few months, HBO Max has lost other content, but this one could really be a whammy for the streaming platform. Upon its merger with Discovery Plus, the platform will be known as "Max."
Zaslav's takeover of the company resulted in the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery. Since then, it has been clear that HBO Max was in for some rough times.
For instance, even before the deal was finalized, executives were already telling investors that they are after "content efficiencies."
The removal of the shows from the streaming platform is reportedly happening during a "financial review" at the company. According to Deadline, the shows are likely to resurface on other company platforms.
Read Also: HBO, HBO Max Subscribers Increase by 13 Million - Still Lower Than Netflix, Disney+?
WarnerMedia Canceled 'Westworld' After Four Seasons
"Westworld" was created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. It is based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film having the same name.
The show premiered in 2016, and it immediately became one of HBO's most promising shows.
However, its viewership and reception slowly began to dwindle as the series strayed further from its initial amusement park premise. With each passing season, the show became increasingly complex.
The show was canceled after four seasons despite having a fifth and final season already planned. The fifth season of "Westworld" was supposed to close out the series for good.
The removal of "Westworld" along with "The Nevers" marked the formal end of Joss Whedon's Victorian drama. The two shows joined the other purged shows, "Minx" and "Love Life."
The removal of "Westworld" from HBO Max will be disappointing for fans as they are deprived of a proper conclusion to the series.
Moreover, they will not be able to watch the canceled show on HBO Max.
Season 4 of the show ended just this past August, which means that some viewers may not be able to finish watching the series before it is removed from HBO Max.
Related Article: HBO Max will Withdraw 36 Titles, Including 20 Originals, Due To the Merge with Discovery+
