HBO cancels sci-fi drama ‘Westworld’ after four seasons

It’s time to say goodbye to the androids of Western world. HBO has cancelled sci-fi title after four seasons, though showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were hoping for a fifth to reach the ending they had in mind. Nolan and Joy were trying I negotiate for the final season as recently as October, but their discussions apparently did not work out. In a statement, HBO said:

“Over the past four seasons, Lisa and [Jonathan] took viewers on a mind-blowing odyssey, raising the bar at every turn. We are extremely grateful to them, along with their endlessly talented cast, producers and crew, as well as all of our partners at Kilter Films, Bad Robot and Warner Bros. Television. It was a thrill to join them on this journey.”

Western world was one of HBO’s most important projects with 54 Emmy nominations and even a win for Thandie Newton as Outstanding Supporting Actress. However, its ratings and viewership plummeted over the years and never fully recovered. For fans, the fact that the show wasn’t renewed immediately after the final season ended was already a bad sign.

Like The Hollywood Reporter notes that approximately 12 million viewers tuned in to watch the show’s critically acclaimed first season across platforms. And while we were thinking that Western world returned to form in its third season, its numbers continued to drop until only 4 million viewers remained to watch the latest episodes. That’s probably not enough for HBO to warrant a renewal. The fourth season apparently cost the network $160 million for eight episodes, which is more than it spent on House of Dragons. The Game of Thrones prequel had ten episodes and averaged 29 million viewers for each one.