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Axed: Luck

Ahead of its Aussie premiere, HBO cancels its gambling drama following the death of a third horse on the set.

It premieres in Australia on Sunday but HBO has already cancelled its gambling drama Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman.

While the show has underperformed in the US, news of the death of a third horse on the set is cited as the reason the cable network is pulling the plug.

“It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series Luck ” the network said in a statement.

“Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horseracing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures. While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision.”

The show came with much promise, hailing Hoffman’s first series role for television, along with Nick Nolte and director Michael Mann on board.

Although critics praised the show, its slow story lines were a frustration to many viewers.

HBO also made the unusual move of renewing the show for a second season after the first episode of the series premiered earlier this year but will no longer continue with it.

It premieres in Australia on Showcase at 7:30pm on Sunday.

Source: LA Times

7 Responses

  1. Thanks for the info. It just goes to show that HBO and a good cast doesn’t guarantee a hit show.

    I just don’t get how it had such a bad safety record, that’s link one horse dead every 3-4 eps

  2. @Craig: They had just finished production on episode one of season two, to screen in 2013, and they were about to shoot episode 2.2 when they halted production.

    No wonder this got axed, it only got a demo of 0.3 and a little over 1.1 million viewers. I agree with deedeedragons, this show was doomed from the start. Even for cable television those are terrible figures

    Silly for them to renew it for a season two so early, now they’re red-faced and have reversed the decision

  3. So how come other features have strict guidelines and stress “no animals were harmed during the making of this..” yet up to 3 horses die on this show?

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