Not Only Netflix: 5 Best MAX Shows That Were Killed Off Too Soon 

The TV industry has always been a fiercely competitive environment, and in an era of content glut, it has become absolutely ruthless: any shoe that fails to deliver the numbers expected can easily be canceled, regardless of the long-term plans of its showrunners.

And no, Netflix is far from the title of a champion at canceling shows. It is MAX.

1. Rome

In the mid-2000s, the then HBO underwent a major shake-up, with old hits gradually becoming a thing of the past and no new ones on the horizon. HBO executives consistently canceled shows they felt were too expensive in favor of popular but less expensive ones. Among others, Rome went under the knife, costing the service $9 million per episode.

HBO bosses believed that Rome owed its good ratings to The Sopranos, which aired on the cable network just prior to this show. So the project fell victim to its own ambitions, and the seasons devoted to Egypt and the appearance of the Messiah never happened.

2. Carnivale

Once again, a victim of HBO's restructuring, and a show that could have become a cult classic. Like Rome, Carnivale had its share of devoted fans and was well received by critics. The show won five Emmys, but HBO was unwilling to produce two more planned seasons at a production cost of more than $2 million per episode.

Carnivale is an original, surreal drama about a traveling circus during the Great Depression. The show's plot is no worse than Twin Peaks. The answers for all the mysteries were planned for the end of season 6. Unfortunately, it all ended very early after season 2 and without any hope of a continuation.

3. Deadwood

The successor to The Sopranos, Deadwood ended for fans just as abruptly as its predecessors in this list.

There was a brutal power struggle behind the scenes – showrunner David Milch wanted to end the show with a 12-episode final season, but the studio wanted Milch to quickly turn his attention to his next project, John From Cincinnati (which ended in 2007 after its first season). Milch refused, and Deadwood was canceled.

The show's cancellation has been called a terrible mistake by HBO for years. Fortunately, that story ended well – in 2019, a feature-length conclusion to the show (Deadwood: The Movie) was released, giving all the characters a logical conclusion.

4. Luck

Luck, a drama about the dirty business of horse racing by the same David Milch, fell victim to cruel animal abuse. The show had enormous potential – the producers included not only the creator of Deadwood, but also the great Michael Mann, whose films of the '80s raised a generation.

Another star was Dustin Hoffman. But Luck was unlucky – after the death of the third horse on the set, HBO was forced to cancel the show. But everything would have been different if the creators of the show had taken actual care of the poor horses.

5. Vinyl

Vinyl had to be a hit or it would not survive. The first episode was directed by Martin Scorsese, who later became the show's producer, and the co-producers included Mick Jagger, one of the pillars of the 70s era the show was about.

Vinyl was cancelled after its first season, citing declining ratings. However, it continued to grow in popularity – even critics admitted that it would be better to correct the mistakes in the second season than to completely cancel a potential hit, but HBO is famous for its inflexibility.