HBO Cancels 'Luck' Over 3 Unlucky Horse Deaths
"Luck," the horse-racing show run on HBO, has been shut down permanently in the wake of three horse deaths that threatened production.
"Luck," which stars Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte, was about the dangerous parts of horse racing, but unfortunately, most of the dangers surrounded the horses during production. While filming the show's two seasons, three horses died in unrelated incidents.
HBO released a statement, saying the show would be canceled, even though they maintained the "highest safety standards possible."
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"It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to case all future production on the series 'Luck,'" read the statement. "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."
Milch and Mann released their own statement mainly for the crew and cast members assuring them that they would work together down the line.
"The two of us loved this series, loved the cast, crew and writers. This has been a tremendous collaboration and one that we plan to continue in the future," their statement read.
"Luck" was plagued by unlucky happenstance since their first season. Then, two of their horses were injured while filming racing scenes. They could not recover, and had to be put down as a result.
Despite the deaths, the next season began filming in February. Earlier this week, a horse reared up and fell backwards, striking its head while being led back into the stall. It did not survive, leading the network and executives to cancel the show.
"Safety is always a paramount concern," HBO stated.
Some critics think "Luck" was canceled not because of animal safety, but because of the show's dismal ratings. Despite the first season's disheartening amount of viewers, "Luck" was granted a second season.
