According to Variety, HBO announced its plan to subtract 36 titles from its library in a cost-cutting measure, resulting in the cable company's merger with Discovery+. The latest purge includes a whopping 20 HBO Max Originals, two original movies, seven Cartoon Network shows, and a handful of acquired titles primarily geared toward children.
While the deletion of certain movies and TV shows makes sense from HBO's business perspective, the shocking removal leaves fans reeling for answers regarding where they can find their favorite HBOs moving forward. From Infinity Train to Close Enough, some losses will hurt far more than others.
Aquaman: King Of Atlantis (2021)
One of HBO Max's biggest titles, the animated show Aquaman: King of Atlantis will no longer be available for DC fans to watch when the company removes it from its catalog in the near future. This is not only a shocking blow to fans who've yet to see it, but those who've helped the show garner a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes will forever be robbed of replay value.
More head-scratching yet, Warner Bros. has Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set for release in March 2023, meaning they could have greatly benefited from the promotion of the blockbuster by keeping King of Atlantis in its library for fans to catch up on before the movie bowed. Alas, those waiting for the last minute to watch the animated miniseries before the live-action are out of luck.
Infinity Train (2019-2021)
Another stunning loss in the latest HBO Max dump includes Infinity Train, the wildly popular animated series created by Owen Dennis. The entertaining anthology constantly gripped viewers with its new characters set among a humongous never-ending train and their dogged quests to make it home safe.
With 40 episodes that have garnered a collective 8.4 IMDb rating for their likable main characters, riveting storylines, excellent animation, and complicated themes made accessible for children, it's hard to justify the removal of Infinity Train from HBO's library. That all mention of the show has been scrubbed from Cartoon Network's social media also feels like a slap in the face that adds injury to insult.
Generation Hustle (2021)
One of the most irresistibly eye-opening accounts of contemporary zoomers' craven addiction to achieving fame, fortune, and online celebrity was once found in Generation Hustle, another top-notch TV series axed by HBO in its latest round of removals. With a 7.3 IMDb rating and 80% Rotten Tomatoes score, it's really hard to defend the premium cable's decision to nix such a high-quality program.
With the tagline "Get Rich or Lie Trying," the scathing crime documentary couldn't be more attuned to the current zeitgeist of schemers and scammers who've had entire shows dedicated to them, à la The Dropout, The Act, Inventing Anna, and many more. Even the corrupt tale of WeWork was explored in Generation Hustle before WeCrashed came out, proving the show was not only of its time but ahead of the curve as well.
Summer Camp Island (2018-2022)
Without question, the decision to remove one of HBO Max's longest-running original TV series, Summer Camp Island, is one of the most surprising of the lot. With over 100 episodes and counting before the decision was made, the show's creators and ardent fans alike will unlikely be able to find closure after investing in the adorable characters for five long years.
Alongside fans' ire with the removal of Summer Camp Island, show creator Julia Pott recently took to Twitter to express her deep disappointment with HBO's decision, posting: "We worked for 5 years to make 100 episodes of animation. We worked late into the night...we are a hard-working family of artists who wanted to make something beautiful, and HBO Max just pulled them all like we were nothing." It is a tough pill to swallow indeed.
The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo (2020-2021)
In addition to several Sesame Street Specials, HBO Max will nix their original spin-off series The Not-Too Late Show With Elmo in short order. Suffice it to say, kids everywhere will be crushed by the shocking decision, not to mention legions of parents who depend on the program as an educational tool.
With a 7.4 IMDb rating and 81% Rotten Tomatoes score, it's hard for HBO to make the argument that the fun talk show simply wasn't good enough or reaching enough people to make a difference. Indeed, with a ton of awesome guests, highly amusing games, goofy songs, and a level of writing that won the show Best Children's Program by GLAAD Media Awards, losing Elmo is not a good look for HBO Max.
Esme & Roy (2018-2021)
One of HBO Max's best shows for toddlers included Esme & Roy, a series that just shot up in popularity certainly due to the recent purge announcement. The story follows Esme, a little girl who provides spiritual counsel to the townsfolk with her best friend Roy, a cute monster with a heart of gold.
Created by Sesame Street creator Sesame Workshop, the show has the feel of the all-time great kid's show fused with the delightful charms of Monsters Inc. With a 7.3 IMDb rating garnered over 78 episodes, the show earned a rep for teaching kids to be themselves no matter what while accepting others for who they are, poignant lessons that HBO Max subscribers will need to find elsewhere.
Victor & Valentino (2019-)
Victor & Valentino is not only the best Cartoon Network original show that HBO just ditched, but it's also one of the few purged shows yet to conclude its run, leaving fans with a massive cliffhanger that will never be resolved. Twelve episodes slated to air from August 22-26 are now apparently lost in oblivion.
The real shame about losing the show is the specific exploration of underrepresented Mexican-American folklore as it relates to its two lovable title characters, polar opposite brothers who solve supernatural crimes in Monte Macabre, allowing kids to see themselves in the characters.
Close Enough (2020-2022)
While HBO Max was carving a niche for solid children's animated programming, one of its biggest and most stunning losses in the latest purge includes Close Enough. This amusing adult animated original series has been universally praised for its artwork, characters, and trenchant themes of arrested development.
Created by J.G. Quintel, Close Enough follows a married stoner couple doing all they can to navigate the horrors of ordinary life in Los Angeles as they raise their young daughter. What makes HBO's decision so shocking, aside from the critical adoration of the show that includes a 7.8 IMDb rating and 91% Rotten Tomatoes score, is that HBO just publicly canceled the show in July 2022 (via Deadline), giving almost no time for fans to complete the third season before it's removed.
My Dinner With Herve (2018)
It's one thing to remove subscription-based TV shows that have yet to build a massive fanbase. It's quite another to nix a made-for-television original movie four years after it aired on the main HBO channel, much less a well-reviewed biopic that stars one of the network's biggest TV stars. After all Peter Dinklage has given to HBO on Game of Thrones, his one shining movie moment since 2003 being discarded is shocking at best and blasphemous at worst.
Hailed for Peter Dinklage's electric tour-de-force role as Herve Villechaize, the French actor who starred in Fantasy Island in the 1970s, My Dinner With Herve currently boasts an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score, once again proving that HBO makes movies better than most Hollywood studios. More importantly, the candid depiction of Herve's endocrine irregularity was a major boon for marginalized groups who saw themselves in the character.
Share (2019)
The other superb original movie HBO Max shockingly decided to dismiss from its catalog is Share, Pippa Bianco's unflinchingly relatable teenage tale that needs to be seen. The story follows Mandy (Rhianne Barreto), a 16-year-old girl who awakes after a night of hard partying to realize she's the subject of a viral video, forcing her to retrace her steps and figure out what transpired overnight.
With a 73 Metascore to go with a stellar 86% Rotten Tomatoes score, the critically adored movie couldn't be more timely or topical for generation Z and the struggles faced in the social media age. Hefty themes of privacy, peer pressure, sexual assault, ostracized friendship, and more all abound in memorably candid ways.