The least loved person in the streaming universe is at it again. OK, that’s really not fair to say. But it’s a good headline and it may get you to click through if you’re reading about this article on social media.
Discovery’s David Zaslav has a tough job. He says he has to cut $3.5 billion from HBO Max’s budget in order to get the app to be profitable. That’s a huge number and there’s going to be some pain there. We all knew that. I don’t think we, as a community, understood how much pain there would be. In the past months, we’ve seen project after project canceled, including movies that were essentially finished. This past week, Discovery Networks, parent of HBO, announced three more moves that just make HBO Max worse.
Goodbye, Love Life
Love Life was one of the first original programs for HBO Max when it launched. It was not my cup of tea and I don’t think it made much of a dent in the global consciousness. That said, I know people who liked it. Of course, no one may ever see it again. Why? It’s being pulled from HBO Max, even though it’s 100% owned by Warner Bros.
Westworld gets meta
In a truly bizarre turn, Westworld is being pulled from HBO Max. A show about entertainers who have their memories erased, and who eventually leave this world to go to their own world, is now being erased from HBO Max. There’s enough philosophy in there to fill an entire article by itself. I agree that the show has declined in recent years. I even said I agreed with its fifth season being canceled. But, taking it out of the streaming world altogether? That’s a bridge too far.
Minx is denied its due
The unkindest cut of all may be Minx. The HBO series about a fictional women’s porno magazine in the 1970s was well-produced, well-written, and surprisingly timely. There were very few things about it that I didn’t like. The casting was great, the music was great, the outfits (when outfits were being worn) were 70s-tastic. And that may be all she wrote, as they say.
Minx, produced by Lionsgate, had been greenlit for a second season. News outlets have reported that the second season was almost completely finished shooting. Then, Discovery canceled the show. There’s a hope that Lionsgate will find another home for it, perhaps on Netflix or another service. But that’s far from guaranteed. It’s possible, of course, and I hope it happens. But you just have to feel for the hundreds of people involved there. All that work and no one may ever see it.
Why? Seriously, Why?
Money, of course. Money is the only sensible reason. In the case of Love Life and Westworld, I assume it has to do with royalties. The actors and producers of those shows get money every time someone watches, and that money is paid out by Discovery. By taking away the option to watch, Discovery saves money.
With Minx, I assume there’s a lot of money saved. I’m assuming that HBO would pay per episode they accept. There’s probably some money already put out. If the show doesn’t air, that’s lost. But, with big businesses it’s all about the big picture. The big picture may be that canceling now costs money.
But what about the “big big” picture. At some point, you’ll cut so much content that subscribers will start canceling. I think HBO Max has already crossed that line. But I’m just one person. I know that I’ve seen the value of HBO Max drop in the past year. I think the real question is, how many other people feel the same?
