‘Westworld’ Canceled After Four Seasons

Westworld won’t be coming back for another season. Following the finale of its fourth season in August, HBO has decided to cancel the sci-drama series.

The Evan Rachel Wood-starring show was canceled for several reasons, including the production’s high costs, lowering viewership and changes at HBO’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, Variety reported. According to the outlet, Warner is cutting back on spending by $3.5 billion companywide.

“Over the past four seasons, Lisa and Jonah have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step,” HBO said in a statement Friday. “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,” HBO said.

 Creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy said making the show — which also starred Aaron Paul, Luke Hemsworth, Thandiwe Newton, and Tessa Thompson — was “one of the highlights” of their careers.

“We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary cast and crew for creating these indelible characters and brilliant worlds,” they wrote on behalf of their Kilter Films company. “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.”

HBO aired the show’s fourth and final season in late June, six years after the show — about a futuristic, wild west-themed, and A.I.-driven amusement park — debuted on HBO. Westworld was based on the 1973 film of the same name. Viewership for the show significantly dropped between its first two and final two seasons. Season one averaged a rating of 1.82, while the show’s fourth season averaged a rating of 0.35.

The show won nine Emmys during its run, including Newton’s win for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role of Akane no Mai.

From Rolling Stone US.