10 Recent TV Shows That Were Sent Out To Die

Given that Westworld is one of HBO's gemstone prestige shows, it was depressing to see the network air its recent fourth season with a noticeably scaled-back marketing push.

Despite the season being produced for a stonking $160 million - making it one of the most expensive seasons in TV history - you'd barely know it from HBO's bafflingly quiet promotion surrounding the show.

While in previous seasons the premiere felt like an event that was loudly hyped for months, season four's debut felt like a mere shoulder shrug from HBO, with many fans even reporting they had no idea the new season had premiered until after the fact.

As such it's little surprise that season four's ratings were disastrous, tumbling to less than half of the already-not-great third season's, and marking just a fraction of its viewership in the first two seasons.

Amid Warner Bros. Discovery's desperate attempts to reduce their massive debts, Westworld was cancelled last November, with the cast at least still receiving their expected pay for a scrapped fifth season.

And to rub salt in the wound, Westworld was also removed in its entirety from HBO Max the very next month, with Warner Bros. seeking to license the show to other streamers to further cut costs. Vile.