Right now there doesn’t appear to be a definitive reason as to why Lovecraft Country was canceled, though the feeling is that there might be a chance that it might come back or be rebooted one of these days. Plenty of people might think that there are various reasons why this show won’t be making it past the first season, but unless one great and underlying reason comes along, then it might be that we’ll be stuck with the idea that ‘it just happened that way’. From the look of things, the series would have easily gone on to a second season given that there was a map and a story ready to be laid out for those that were willing to watch. Trying to guess why HBO decided to pull the show however isn’t bound to be an easy endeavor since at this point few people are really giving any answers other than typical responses that state how great the show has been and what could have happened had it been allowed to remain. It’s bound to be frustrating to a lot of people who were having fun with the show, but the trend of getting rid of a program after one season appears to be spreading.
Maybe it was the cost of production, maybe HBO thought the story had been told in a satisfying manner (doubtful), or maybe there was something else to it that people don’t want to talk about. It’s hard to say really, at least unless the people who are closest to it are willing to reveal the actual reason. Cost can become a big factor since the more popular a show gets, the more expensive it’s bound to get as well as new effects are going to be needed, actors are bound to want to renegotiate their contracts, and other costs might crop up occasionally as well. If it had been the rising costs though one might have thought that someone would say something along those lines.
The overall story was compelling and easy enough to follow, though there are plenty of people who tend to think that the characters had to lean heavily on the story and the overdone idea of white supremacy that drove parts of the story. In fact, there are those that think that the main characters weren’t fleshed out enough to support the story on their own and were essentially riding the plot until the season ended. That could be one reason HBO decided to pack it up, perhaps thinking that if a second season became more of the same that it couldn’t do anything but hurt the ratings. It’s difficult to determine just what happened that changed HBO’s collective mind when it came to something that, from the trailers, looked as though it could have been a fun show had it been allowed to keep going. But the one thing that anyone would be wise to think about is that if one pushes a story there’s a chance for success, but if that story is all that’s keeping everything together, meaning that the characters couldn’t possibly continue on their own without the support of the story around them, then it’s not worth quite as much.
It’s a bit surprising that this would happen, but it should be recognized that no story is completely immune to this type of scrutiny and it goes without saying that if anyone thinks that a show or a movie can pass by without every element performing the way it needs to, people are going to notice. The hope for this show was that it would stretch into a second season and keep going with the narrative that had been established. Maybe another network will be interested in picking up this story, maybe not, but it doesn’t sound as though it’s time to give up completely yet. However it has to happen it does feel that it could still be possible to see Lovecraft Country come back, though if it happens soon it would be a bit of a surprise. The overall feeling towards the show is a bit divided apparently since the overdone idea of white supremacy that plagues the main characters appears almost cartoonish, becoming even more dangerous than anything Lovecraft could have ever come up with.
Some might think there’s a message there, others might dismiss it and think that it’s all for the show and meant to be what it appears to be, entertainment and nothing else. It’s up for interpretation of course and there’s no telling what each person sees that the next might not. The point is that with the removal of the show one has to wonder when, and if, we’ll ever end up seeing it again, and where it might end up. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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