HBO Max has canceled Love Life and Minx, in a move that has drawn criticism online. The news is the latest in of a row of cost-cutting measures. Under the leadership of CEO David Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery - which owns HBO Max - has told investors it will make $3.5 billion in cost savings as the result of the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery. The approach to cost-cutting has led to a number of cancelations, perhaps most notably the high-profile DC adaptation Batgirl. It has also led to the removal of already completed shows and movies from its service, in addition to the reduced number of scripted series on other networks owned by WBD.Now, Variety reports that Love Life and Minx have been canceled by HBO Max, and will be removed from the platform. In the case of Minx, the 1970s comedy starring Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson, the series is in its last week of filming season 2 and plans to complete production. Lionsgate TV, which produces Minx, will shop the show to other platforms. Love Life, a romcom anthology and HBO Max's first scripted original, has also been canceled and will be removed from the service. The news has been met with dismay on social media, as seen in the tweets below:
Every Show HBO Max Has Removed From Streaming Under The New Leadership
While Batgirl has received the lion's share of attention, due to the rarity of a motion picture already into post-production being completely shelved, the bulk of the cost-cutting measures have focused on already completed projects. To avoid paying ongoing licensing fees, HBO Max has removed several shows from its platform. These include: 12 Dates of Christmas; About Last Night; Aquaman: King of Atlantis; Close Enough Detention Adventure; Dodo; Ellen’s Next Great Designer; Elliott From Earth; Esme & Roy; Genera+ion; Generation Hustle; Infinity Train; Little Ellen; Make It Big, Make It Small; Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart; Messy Goes to Okido; Mia’s Magic Playground; Mighty Magiswords; My Mom, Your Dad; Odo, OK K.O.! – Let’s Be Heroes; Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures; Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness; Summer Camp Island; Squish; The Fungies!; The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo; The Ollie & Moon Show; Theodosia; Tig n’ Seek; Uncle Grandpa; Victor and Valentino; and Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs.
Although these cuts are targeted at animation, HBO Max has also removed live-action dramas like Vinyl, which had its debut episode directed by Martin Scorsese, and Mrs. Fletcher starring Kathryn Hahn. These latest cancelations signal that HBO Max could be removing more high-profile series, as Minx and Love Life are joined by Westworld and The Nevers. Considering the investment that went into Westworld in particular, the HBO Max TV landscape now looks more uncertain than ever.
Why The Love Life Cancelation Is So Disappointing
While it sounds at least somewhat hopeful that Minx could be revived elsewhere, the removal of Love Life is a big disappointment. In its second installment, the romcom anthology solidified William Jackson Harper as a top-tier romantic lead who showed tremendous chemistry with Jessica Williams. The season was considered a charming delight, and, even if no new episodes are produced, many will hope the show can resurface someday. It was a quietly confident outing that deserves to be discovered by more audiences.
Source: Variety