DONE IN BY THE STREAMING WARS—OR NOT?
Unfortunately, in the wake of AT&T’s acquisition of what is now known as WarnerMedia, Cinemax appears to be an afterthought; the network, which requires a subscription of its own, is no longer making original series, and the
Wall Street Journal reported recently that its subscriber base is shrinking.
Why wasn’t season one of
Warrior—and other well-regarded Cinemax originals like
Banshee and
The Knick—made available on HBO Max when the streaming platform debuted in May? Lin said that when he inquired about
Warrior’s possible migration from Cinemax to HBO Max, he said he was told the drama “didn’t fit the brand.”
Business considerations may have been involved, but according to an insider familiar with the inner workings of WarnerMedia, the primary explanation for the lack of Cinemax fare on HBO Max comes down to indifference from the executive team that, until recently, ran the streamer. But in August, a corporate reshuffling saw the exit of several top executives and the promotion of HBO’s president of programming, Casey Bloys, who now oversees content for the streamer as well.
After Bloys’s promotion, a WarnerMedia source said that the existing seasons of
Warrior will be made available on HBO, thus accessible on HBO Max. That will happen after the second season of
Warrior airs on Cinemax, and it’s not clear whether other Cinemax originals will also get added to the company’s marquee streaming platform.
Unfortunately, a third season of
Warrior looks quite unlikely. The show’s cast and creative team have dispersed, and though Tropper said there were conversations with Netflix about moving the show to that platform, that didn’t pan out. Still, Lee said the news of the drama’s eventual move to a bigger platform was “encouraging.”
“That would be incredible,” added Tropper. “
Warrior is a unique and timely show that I think, now more than ever, would find a significant viewership on major platforms like HBO and HBO Max.”
The promise of the streaming era is that there is a place for everyone.
Warrior’s devoted fans are about to find out if that’s actually true.
