Westworld (HBO/Sky Atlantic) [** Spoilers **]

Relikk

Possibly one of the worst seasons of big budget TV that I've ever seen. The writing is eyerollingly cliche ridden, amateur hour bollocks. The series was on a downward spiral since the superb first, but Jaysus, I never thought it'd get this bad. I rarely regret watching anything, but I'm damn close to it after watching that utter bilge.

Homelander

Yeah, it's not quite at Game of Thrones Season 8 territory yet, but they really skirted with that last season finale.

EoinMcLovin

https://tvline.com/2022/11/04/westworld-cancelled-no-season-5-hbo/

Cancelled

youcancallmeal

Not surprising and probably for the best. We'll always have the masterpiece that is season 1

sioda

Would have watched one more go tbh .

nc6000

Cancellation story already been posted..... can't delete my post.

Penn

Not surprising, but really seemed set up to have one more, back to basics season. But I won't mourn not getting it.

First season is one of the best seasons of TV I've ever seen. 2nd season had some great bits, but they screwed up the entire delivery of the season. And after that it just got worse and worse.

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119834446#Comment_119834446

Can't say I'm surprised. The speed with which this show left the zeitgeist of Peak TV Discourse was swift. Earned too, cos it quickly showed itself as having no actual depth behind the mystery

Overheal

Yeah I'm sad anytime a sci fi show doesn't get to wrap up though.

By the start of season 5 everyone left behind had been dragged through one hell of a series of rabbit holes.

Oh well, they chanced it.

Mr.Nice Guy

I reckon they should have cancelled it after the awful third season. I didn't mind season two, even though I know some people hated it. The third one was what caused me to quit.

ixoy

I thought S4 was an improvement (at least over S3) and would have watched it play out but it tidied itself up neat enough that I'm not overly bothered.

yabadabado

No surprise but S4 was an improvement.

I would have watched S5 to see could they some way pull it altogether.Which was highly unlikely.

Imagine if they just wrapped it all up in one season,it would go down as an all time great.

nc6000

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119835057#Comment_119835057

I thought season three was pretty bad and never watched season four, not sure I'll bother now.

Penn

I don't think Season 4 was much of an improvement at all. As with Season 3, they went far too big with the scale of the story and the effect it had on the world as a whole, and then just had characters make dumbass decisions for dumbass reasons which inevitably resulted in the very thing that then destroyed their own plans.

Given that Season 4 ended in such a way to likely set up one final season which we now won't get, I wouldn't bother watching it. There's no resolution or finality to be had for the time you've already sunk into the show.

Homelander

No surprise. Putting aside the quality, the viewership figures were awful and completely unsustainable even for a reduced budget.

S3 was a big drop off in viewers from S2, but S4 was a level they probably never thought possible.

pixelburp

Thinking back on season 1 there was the same amount of withholding and vague dialogue masquerading as mystique ... but it was kind held together by a fantastic Anthony Hopkins performance. Gotta hand it to that dwindling generation of thesps, they command attention even in dross.

silverharp

The first season was great but heard the second was downhill so didnt bother with it. They lost 3/4 of their viewers and Warner are nearly broke, so kind of an obvious decision.

MisterAnarchy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119836336#Comment_119836336

Yes I stopped after the first series, would probably have watched the second but MrsA felt cheated by the Man in Black reveal and said that was that.

Reviews for the second series werent great so I held off.

It seems it was the right call.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119836279#Comment_119836279

There was definitely a good bit of withholding and deliberate obfuscation and mystique in the first season, but that felt like it was required to deliver the story. In the second season and beyond, it felt more like the story was shaped to deliver as much mystique as possible, and that things happened specifically to try confuse and misdirect the viewer so they didn't figure out the big reveals at the end. And that became the issue with the show; the writers shaped the story to suit the big reveals/twists/ending, rather than just trying to tell a great story with some twists/reveals. Characters became hilariously overpowered to facilitate big showpieces rather than just focusing on the story of these robots gaining sentience and wanting to live, or wanting to take revenge on those who abused them.

Sad Professor

Disappointed it won't get to finish the story but I can't say I am surprised by this news either. Nolan and Joy appeared to have lost interest and moved on to other things in season 3 which is when the viewership really tanked. Weird how they pushed ahead with their 5 season plan despite this. It seems the actors will get paid for season 5 regardless, so maybe they didn't think HBO would actually cancel it.

corkie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119836516#Comment_119836516

https://deadline.com/2022/11/westworld-core-cast-paid-season-5-cancellation-reasons-1235164050/

They moved on to 'The Peripheral'?

Galwayguy35

I'd have tuned in if there was a S5 but its no big surprise it got cancelled either, there was only one really good episode last season and there was no big cliffhanger that has me raging that it won't be back.

Its a tidy deal the actors got for themselves if its true they will be paid for a season that won't even happen.

corkie

https://screenrant.com/westworld-season-5-show-cancellation-fan-petition-hbo/

I doubt a petition will be successful here, the cost to produce it would be prohibitive?

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119842627#Comment_119842627

You're only the messenger, but talk about clickbait: the clamouring fans here that causes this article? It amounts to an online petition... which so far has a mere 3,600 signatures. Don't see this hitting "release the Synder cut" levels of noise.

https://www.change.org/p/hbo-to-renew-westworld-for-a-5th-and-final-season

Spon Farmer

I read that that season 4 doesn’t end with a “major cliffhanger” but I didn’t want to read further because of spoilers.

So does the season 4 have an ending that could be the end of the story? Or is it all left unresolved?

no spoilers please.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119847983#Comment_119847983

Left unresolved. Didn't really end on a cliffhanger, as the main storyline of Season 4 was completed, but it was also clearly setting up a final season.

Spon Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848133#Comment_119848133

Is it rare for HBO to cancel a series?

the only ones I can recall are Deadwood and Rome (although I’m not sure about Rome since that last episode did feel like an ending).

youcancallmeal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848283#Comment_119848283

Yes you're absolutely right. HBO are very careful in selecting what they produce, that's why nearly all their original programming shows get a proper ending. It's a sign of how far Westworld fell that it had to be cancelled

BruteStock

It's not that rare.

Time traveller Wife, Lovecraft Country and Watchmen were axed after only one season. Tragically Raised by Wolves canned after it was getting good.

Going back further Vinyl was axed and Boardwalk Empire was wrapped up early.

Westworld setup big a return to the West for the final season. Horrendous viewership killed those plans stone dead

youcancallmeal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119848706#Comment_119848706

I'd argue that Lovecraft Country, Watchmen and Boardwalk Empire were all wrapped up satisfactorily. Raised by Wolves was a HBO Max programme. Haven't watched Time Travellers Wife or Vinyl so can't comment