HBO cancels Dustin Hoffman drama Luck after horse deaths

HBO has taken one of its marquee shows behind the white sheet and put it out of its misery. Luck, the horse-racing drama produced by David Milch (Deadwood) and Michael Mann, is no more.

The announcement of Luck‘s cancellation comes on the heels of the show’s third horse death. HBO broke the news with the following statement (courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter):

“Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horseracing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures. While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision.”

The second season of the program had already begun production. It seems not even the pedigrees of Milch and Mann, as well as stars Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, could keep the show alive.

However, perhaps the network is glad to have a reason to abandon the show without angering its creative heads; each episode of Luck averaged a lackluster 625,000 viewers in the U.S, and reviews, though positive, weren’t exactly glowing.

Luck is yet to screen in Australia.

R.I.P.