Why is HBO Max removing shows like Westworld and The Nevers?
Fans are gutted.
Joss Whedon’s The Nevers and Sam Boyd’s Love Life are the latest HBO Max offerings set to be pulled from the streamer, along with the recently cancelled HBO series Westworld.
The Nevers, which follows a group of women who suddenly develop abnormal abilities following a bizarre supernatural event in Victorian London, aired part 1 of its first season in spring 2021, and was scheduled to release the second half next year on HBO.
It's now unknown whether the remaining episodes will be broadcast on another platform.
Meanwhile, the Anna Kendrick-led Love Life is set to have both its seasons pulled from the streamer. The romcom series first debuted in May 2020, with season 2 landing in October 2021.
It is is the second Lionsgate-produced show to be axed by HBO Max this week, with the comedy series Minx also scrapped despite being given the green light for a second season back in May.
The new axings come just weeks after HBO announced the removal of WestWorld - the popular series based on the 1973 film of the same name - from the platform, which was cancelled earlier this year despite needing a fifth season to wrap the story up.
Throughout its run, the show was nominated for 54 Primetime Emmy Awards and so its cancellation and subsequent removal came as a surprise to many.
So, why is the US streaming platform removing shows like Westward, The Nevers, Minx and Love Life? Read on for everything you need to know.
Why is HBO Max removing shows like Westworld and The Nevers?
HBO Max has famously been cutting costs since WarnerMedia and Discovery merged earlier in 2022.
This has seen several staff cuts and show cancellations, including the axing of the already-filmed Batgirl movie, and appears to be the reason behind the axing of these latest shows.
Back in August, a number of past HBO shows including Camping and Vinyl were axed from the service.
“As we work to bring together HBO Max and Discovery+, we’re making some changes to our services,” the streamer’s Twitter help feed said at the time. “Part of that process includes the removal of select content.”
Will shows like Westworld be available to stream elsewhere?
While various shows been removed from the US streaming platform HBO Max, there is reportedly a chance they will re-emerge on one of Warner Bros Discovery’s other streaming platforms.
Reacting to the removal of Minx from HBO Max, the show's creator Ellen Rapoport Tweeted: “I am obviously disappointed that Minx (along with several other shows yet to be announced) is leaving HBO Max. I’m proud of the show we’ve made and am confident that the audience will come with us to our new home. Thank you to the best cast and crew in the business.”
Reacting to the removal of Love Life, creator Sam Boyd also expressed his hopes that the series would be able to find a new home.
He Tweeted: "Bummed that this is now a thing that can happen! Gonna try and figure out somewhere else for it to live, so it doesn't just **not exist anymore**, but no matter what, I'm so proud of it and SO grateful to everyone who worked on it & everyone who watched. This show changed my life."
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
