Raised By Wolves: Why HBO Max Canceled Ridley Scott’s Acclaimed Sci-Fi Series

HBO has long since been a home for complex and compelling dramatic television, but unfortunately, even their most interesting shows don’t always last — like Ridley Scott’s acclaimed sci-fi drama, “Raised By Wolves.” Why did HBO Max abruptly cancel the series, which many consider to be one of the most underrated sci-fi shows of all time?

Created by Aaron Guzikowski and executive produced by Scott and David W. Zucker, the show was actually a victim of current Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, David Zaslav’s, tenure, which was a result of the proposed merger in 2021. “Raised by Wolves” — a drama following two androids tasked with raising human children on a new planet starring Amanda Collin, Abubakar Salim, Travis Fimmel, and Niamh Algar — kicked off in 2020 and was finishing its second season by 2022. 

According to Zucker (via a recent interview with Screen Rant), the studio was prepared to move into Season 3 when Zaslav’s reign began — and that’s when things changed. The network started to noticeably sideline the project before its official cancellation, which was sudden for the creative team, in June 2022.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s decision to cancel “Raised by Wolves” was puzzling, to say the least. The series was praised when it debuted, garnering a solid 76% average critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 2 had even more critical success, jumping 10 points. For both seasons, the show has an average critic score of 81% — but here’s the real kicker. “Raised by Wolves” also has an average audience score of 82%, which means audiences dug it just as much as critics.

With that in mind, plus the show’s incredible production design and effects, it feels short-sighted to cancel a solid series fans enjoyed that seemed to be growing steadily. Considering the budget required to make a show of this scale, however — as well as Zaslav’s other moves to scrap major projects, (ones that were nearly completed), for tax breaks — it’s not far fetched to speculate that the cancellation of “Raised by Wolves” was financially motivated.

Ultimately, fans rallied around the series after its cancellation, but their support did nothing to change Zaslav’s mind and bring the show back — and sadly, it isn’t available to stream anywhere these days, either.