Amazon has confirmed its decision to cut lavish period drama The Last Tycoon, citing expensive production costs. The news that there will be no season two for The Last Tycoon comes in the context of Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos indicating his intention to dramatically reposition Amazon in relation to HBO and Netflix. A change in strategy and priority at Amazon has been directed by Bezos who is looking to increase audience share with TV shows that have a broader appeal. He has reportedly demanded that Amazon Studios produce a colossal TV series to rival Game of Thrones. The Last Tycoon was canceled amidst rumors that the company would be trimming its finances and tightening its corporate belt in order to bankroll a huge hit.
The Last Tycoon was an expensive exercise for Amazon. It began streaming in July this year and while Amazon, along with Netflix, are tight-lipped about viewer-ship numbers the drama failed to capture good viewer reviews. The reception could be at best described as lukewarm. The score it received on Rotten Tomatoes was only 53% and on Metacritic it made only 57%.
The Last Tycoon’s shot only nine episodes which focused on the inner workings and intrigues of the Hollywood studio system. It was based on an unfinished novel by F Scott Fitzgerald. Starring Kelsey Grammer, Matt Bomer and Lily Collins the drama was described as somewhat dreary and lacking substance. The script did little to elevate it. Bomer played Monroe Stahr, a character modeled on the real-life producer of variety film Irving Thalberg. The chiselled and suave Bomer has demonstrated in White Collar that he can carry a show as leading man but failed to deliver much chemistry as we followed the professional and personal adventures of his life.
It was obvious that Amazon had thrown lots of money at the screen. The retro drama is packed with all the glamorous trappings of Hollywood from back in the day. The costumes and sets were simply gorgeous to look at. Mad Men Designer Janie Bryant produced those sumptuous costumes and the production designer was production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein.
The decision to cancel The Last Tycoon was announced shortly after the e-commerce giant announced its intention to axe Z: The Beginning of Everything, another Fitzgerald period drama starring Christina Ricci as Zelda Fitzgerald. Amazon had initially indicated that it was on track for renewal before finally chopping it. Indeed Amazon is on a cancellation spree in recent months. They have also made the surprising decision to axe Good Girls Revolt which was a major hit amongst female viewers and had received fairly solid reviews. It may be that the common thread between these axed shows is that they are all period dramas. Mad Dogs and Alpha House are two other popular show that Amazon have recently confirmed will not be continued as part of the move to trim the spend in order to concentrate on the search for a massive hit.
It remains to be seen whether Amazon’s strategy will yield the Zeitgeist capturing show it seeks.
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