HBO Max Boss Explains Reason for Westworld Removal

Premiering in 2016, Westworld was poised to help carry the weight of the oncoming conclusion of Game of Thrones, with those initial seasons earning a lot of excitement and attention from audiences, only for HBO Max to opt not to renew the fan-favorite series for a Season 5. Additionally, HBO Max even removed all four seasons from its streaming library, with HBO and HBO Max content CEO Casey Bloys recently detailing not only the reason for the cancellation, but also the unexpected decision to remove the series from its library. Unsurprisingly, the major motivation for this decision was due to financial budgeting.

“The conversation was, what’s the right amount of money in streaming, so that means what’s the right amount of money for Max originals? And conversations about library, does every single library show that we have on HBO Max need to be exclusive to HBO Max? I would say no,” Bloys admitted to Variety. “People kind of forget the history of television was windows, DVDs. These are expensive shows to make. The idea that they’re going to sit in a library forever and ever for $15 a month, that’s never how TV has operated.”

When HBO Max launched, it brought with it a massive library of a number of beloved titles, as well as saw the debut of original movies and TV series. While some of these originals were removed from HBO Max and likely won’t be earning a physical release, they have become available to rent on other services. 

Bloys went on to note that, with Westworld going to free-ad supported (FAST) platforms like Tubi and The Roku Channel, series creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were alerted of the pivot. 

“I think people sometimes forget there is a vast majority of the population that don’t want to pay anything for a streaming service, not only here, but internationally,” the exec expressed. “In the same way that Netflix was a brand-new thing, let’s throw some shows up there and expose it to a new audience and see how it does. I think you have to kind of dip your toe in and see what’s out there. I have no idea if FAST is going to be a huge business. But I do know that some people don’t want to pay and are OK with getting ads. And that’s a potentially very big audience and a new audience for a show. So that’s something we’re trying.”

With Nolan and Joy working with Amazon Studios for their series The Peripheral, some fans are even hoping Prime Video could revive Westworld to complete the narrative with a Season 5. As it stands, there’s no update on Westworld either continuing or making a return to HBO Max.

What do you think of the executive’s remarks? Let us know in the comments!