HBO Max shows and movies cancelled in 2022: Who’s safe?
By Tiara Starks
On the heels of an impending merger between the streaming platforms HBO Max and Discovery+, HBO Max has cancelled and removed certain shows and movies.
The service has decided to cancel and remove content from its viewing slate at the expense of its large number of subscribers, even with new originals being released.
What makes matters worse is that there’s only a year left to use HBO Max before the merger occurs. This means that subscribers are only given a limited time to see some of their favorite series and movies before they get axed or pulled off the platform.
It was also announced that the highly-anticipated DC Comics movie Batgirl will not be releasing in theaters or on HBO Max. The sequel to the 2020 CGI-animated film Scoob!, Scoob!: Holiday Hunt, was shelved as well. This recent news signifies a new focus on unscripted content and adult-targeted programming.
While Warner Bros. Discovery has made a commitment to spend more on HBO and HBO Max content that doesn’t mean all original series are safe. As reported by Deadline, WBD President and CEO David Zaslav had the following to say:
"Quality is what matters. Quality is what Casey and that team is delivering. It’s the best team in the business. We’re doubling down on that HBO team…we’re going to spend dramatically more this year and next year than we spent last year [and] the year before…There was some buzz today about HBO Max [that] we’re going to start doing less series and our strategy is to embrace and support and then drive the incredible success that HBO Max is having."
What doesn’t fit under that umbrella of “quality” looks to be Kids and Family live-action and animated programming as well as direct-to-streaming content. So what’s been cancelled, what’s safe, and what’s in danger? Here’s what we know.
HBO Max shows and movies cancelled in 2022
- Batgirl
- Scoob!: Holiday Haunt
- Raised by Wolves
- Made for Love
- Time Traveler’s Wife
- Close Enough
- Gordita Chronicles
- Little Ellen
Shows that are safe: What HBO shows are considered safe?
Below you’ll find a list of shows produced by HBO that are considered “safe” and will presumably be staying on the HBO Max streaming platform:
- Succession
- House of the Dragon (upcoming)
- The Last of Us (upcoming)
- Euphoria
- True Detective
- Barry
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- The Righteous Gemstones
- Westworld
- The White Lotus
- The Nevers
- Industry
- The Gilded Age
Shows in danger: What HBO Max shows are in danger of being cancelled?
The following list is of series made exclusively for the HBO Max platform and could be in danger of cancellation as WBD restructures the streamer.
- Our Flag Means Death
- Gossip Girl
- Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
- Hacks
- Warrior
- Titans
- Doom Patrol
- Harley Quinn
- Peacemaker (but James Gunn has said season 2 is safe)
- The Penguin Batman spin-off (upcoming)
- Arkham Batman spin-off (upcoming)
- Minx
- Rap Sh!t
- Tokyo Vice
- Fboy Island
- And Just Like That
- The Sex Lives of College Girls
- The Flight Attendant
What HBO Max movies have been removed in 2022?
Currently, there are movies getting quietly removed from the platform as the major shift in programming steadily approaches. Here’s what HBO Max movies have been removed from the streamer:
- The Witches
- Moonshot
- Superintelligence
- An American Pickle
- Charm City Kings
- Locked Down
Movies on the rise: What upcoming HBO Max original movies are in danger of being cancelled?
Under the new strategy that Warner Bros Discovery is taking with its streaming content slate, the following films are in danger of suffering the same fate as the previously mentioned films:
- Am I OK?
- Evil Dead Rising
- Final Destination 6
- Land of Gold
- The Parenting
Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for more HBO Max news and coverage!