HBO has shut down production on its freshman drama, Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman, after a third horse died. A statement from HBO says:
It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series LUCK.
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.
We are immensely proud of this series, the writing, the acting, the filmmaking, the celebration of the culture of horses, and everyone involved in its creation.
Michael Mann and David Milch said “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.”
This is a shame, but also the best, most admirable option. "Luck" is a fascinating show – it's the ultimate in "it's not TV, it's HBO" (both in good and bad ways), but I was hoping to see it grow and mature. On the other hand, horse racing is a pretty loathsome, unethical sport, and I've never felt entirely comfortable with HBO having to re-enact so many races. Good luck to David Milch, and I hope he can get his baby going again in the future, but I'm glad they chose the right path.
Great show sorry to see it go. I can't believe with computer animation and live horse racing footage that the production couldn't go on. The show was bringing awareness to the race horse retirement farms that do exist. Animal rights activists will lose a stage to inform the public on the good and bad of a sport that is not going to disapear anytime soon. The plight of the underpaid and sometimes abused stablemen and their families was about to be revealed. I have to believe this is more about getting out of contracts and saving money instead of being concerned about animals. BTW I saw a horse being slaughtered on your lame show Game of Thrones enjoy mediocre entertainment at premium prices. This was one of the only original productions I have seen that wasn't a cover for soft porn.