HBO's Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys addresses the cancellation of Lovecraft Country in a recent interview. Continuing the Matt Ruff novel of the same name from 2016, the series developed by Misha Green ran for a single, 10-episode season that aired in Fall 2020. A second season in development, titled Lovecraft Country: Supremacy, was cancelled in July 2021.
Lovecraft Country aimed to combine America's difficult racial history with the cosmic-horror writings of H.P. Lovecraft, simultaneously exploring the author's influence and resonance while challenging the racism that stains his texts. Starring Jurnee Smollett and the newly minted MCU big-bad Jonathan Majors, the series received critical acclaim and was HBO's leader in Emmy nominations this year with 18. Many of these are pending, but at the recent Creative Arts Emmys, Lovecraft Country took home awards for Sound Editing and Guest Performance, with the latter going to Courtney B. Vance.
Despite this praise and awards attention, HBO decided not to continue Lovecraft Country, and Bloys spoke to Variety about the decision. He reminds his viewers that many factors go into a decision like this, and cautions against trying to single out any one element. According to Bloys, HBO's decision does not at all take away from Green's achievement:
When you make the decision to not go forward with a show, it’s usually a confluence of factors. And that was the case here. It has to be something we think makes sense for us. In this case, we couldn’t get there. […] I don’t think it would be fair to point at any one particular thing. I think that the work Misha did, and the recognition that it got, this doesn’t change any of that.
Bloys, who was promoted to Chief Content Officer of both HBO and HBO Max back in August 2020, also discussed his network's leading number of Emmy nominations in what could have been a difficult year. Many of HBO's premier shows, including Succession and Westworld, were off the air due to pandemic-related delays, and shows like Lovecraft Country, Mare of Easttown, and I May Destroy You stepped up to fill the gap. There was some controversy over nominations for HBO and HBO Max being considered combined, as some argue they are separate services, but Bloys dismissed the criticism by pointing out they have "the same management, same business affairs, same production and HBO shows air day and date on HBO Max."
Bloys gives a coy answer regarding Lovecraft Country, pleading a plethora of factors without listing any, and though he insists it doesn't detract from the show's season 1 achievements, this awards season has become bittersweet for the cast. While accepting his Emmy, Vance voiced his discontent at what he argues was an unfair decision to cancel. With HBO seemingly unwilling to explain their decision further, fans of Lovecraft Country will just have to grapple with their disappointment and hope the show's creatives find a new outlet soon.
Source: Variety
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