Westworld, Raised By Wolves, And More Shows Are Officially Being Taken Off HBO Max And Moved To Ad-Supported Services

There has been quite a bit of confusion over what is going to happen to recently-canceled HBO and HBO Max fare after they leave the platform. After all, isn't the benefit of streaming services like HBO Max that everything from a particular studio or channel will be available to watch whenever you want? Turns out the answer is "not really" — especially when you're a company going through a multi-billion dollar restructuring like Warner Bros. Discovery.

However, for those wondering where original programming like "Westworld" and "The Nevers" will go with their impending deletions off HBO Max, an answer has been formally announced — sort of. In a new press release, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that several HBO and HBO Max cancelations will be shopped around to FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) services. Viewers will likely recognize some of the names confirmed to be making the leap to these platforms: In addition to "Westworld" and "The Nevers," "Raised by Wolves," "Legendary," "FBOY Island," "Finding Magic Mike," "Head of the Class," and "The Time Traveler's Wife" have all been identified as part of Warner Bros. Discovery's foray into FAST programming.

The company also revealed the fates of shows like "Love Life" and "Minx," which were recently announced to have been canceled and slated for removal from HBO Max. "Gordita Chronicles," "The Garcias," and "Made for Love" are also among the projects being shuffled off the streamer. There are plans in the works to send these shows to FAST services and other platforms sometime in the future, although concrete plans have not yet been confirmed.

This seemingly sudden shift into the FAST model of streaming is actually something that has been in the works for a while. Warner Bros. Discovery announced this past August that they will be setting up their own FAST service sometime in 2023 to coincide with the combined HBO Max and Discovery+ platform. However, specifics on this platform aren't expected to be announced for a while, meaning there is currently no explanation for why titles like "Westworld" are going to be on third-party platforms instead of on this upcoming service. (The likely answer seems to be that Warner Bros. Discovery thinks they're more valuable as assets that can be licensed to third parties in the short term rather than holding them on HBO Max until they get their own FAST service up and running.) 

While an official explanation isn't available, there is certainly enough speculation regarding the true intent of these removals. Variety obtained an SEC filing by Warner Bros. Discovery which stated that they have racked up approximately around $3.5 billion in "content impairment and development write-off charges." Keep in mind that this amount was $1 billion more than what these write-offs were originally expected to incur. It might not even stop here, as the company wrote that "restructuring efforts are ongoing and could result in additional impairments above the revised estimates." So yeah, there's still a chance your favorite HBO or HBO Max series is going to get canceled or removed from the platform. Fun!

The third-party platforms that Warner Bros. Discovery intends to send the affected programs to have not been revealed. However, potential new homes for these shows include services like Tubi, Pluto TV, and Freevee. Stay tuned for more as we hear it.