HBO Puts An End To 'Westworld,' Cancels Show After 4th Season

That's all she wrote for "Westworld." In a shocking piece of news, The Hollywood Reporter reveals that HBO has opted to cancel the show after its fourth season.

The show recently concluded its fourth and final season earlier in August.

Jonathan Nolan, the co-creator of the series, was previously hoping for a fifth and final season to wrap up the show, but it looks like that will no longer be taking place.

The show has undeniably been an acclaimed, smashing success for HBO. Over the course of its run, "Westworld" garnered 54 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. It also won three Emmys in 2018, including one for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Thandiwe Newton in her role as Maeve Millay.

THR noted that the linear ratings sharply fell for the show in its last two seasons, along with critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. The cancellation also comes at a time when HBO's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and CEO David Zaslav are looking to cut costs. However, THR reports that network insiders are claiming that money was not an issue with regard to the show getting the axe.

In a statement from HBO, the network lauded the series' four seasons and showed gratitude to the cast and crew, writing: "Over the past four seasons, Lisa and [Jonathan] have taken viewers on a mind-bending odyssey, raising the bar at every step. 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."

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There is always the possibility there could be a continuation of "Westworld" somewhere down the line, similar to the other HBO series, "Deadwood." "Deadwood" was previously, and quite infamously, canceled by HBO before it got the chance to finish its storyline back in 2006. The cancellation also caused great outrage among fans in its wake. There had been fan support for the show to make a comeback for years. It finally happened in 2019 with the feature, "Deadwood: The Movie."

While "Westworld" met its end this year, HBO did have a big success story in the "Game of Thrones" prequel spinoff series, "House of the Dragon." Much like its predecessor, the show became a runaway success, and it's already been renewed for a second season.

Other ongoing shows in the current HBO lineup include "Succession," "The White Lotus," and "Euphoria." A live-action television adaptation of the smash-hit video game franchise, "The Last of Us," is also in the works for HBO. It will debut on the network in 2023.

HBO's "Westworld" is adapted from the 1973 film of the same name. The show is set in the feature where the corporation Delos operates an American Old West-themed amusement park called Westworld, which is populated by biomechanical robot "hosts" that are almost indistinguishable from real humans. In Season 1, the robot hosts are uploaded with a new program that ultimately causes them to gain sentience along with their lost memories, which are normally erased. The hosts are programmed not to harm humans, but that eventually changes.

The show first debuted on the channel in 2016 and lasted for 36 episodes. Fans and interested viewers can stream the complete series on HBO Max.