HBO has opted not to continue forward with a second season of its original drama series Vinyl. The decision comes as Casey Bloys has replaced Michael Lombardo as president of the network. This move is one of the biggest that Bloys has done so far in the hopes of turning the network around.
"After careful consideration, we have decided not to proceed with a season season of Vinyl," HBO said in a statement. "Obviously, this was not an easy decision. We have enormous respect for the creative team and cast for their hard work and passion on this project."
The drama starred Bobby Cannavale, Ray Romano, Paul Ben-Victor, P.J. Byrne, Max Casella, Ato Essandoh, James Jagger, J.C. MacKenzie, Jack Quaid, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Juno Temple and Olivia Wilde.
Terence Winter, Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese and Rich Cohen co-created the series. They served as executive producers with Victoria Pearman, Rick Yorn, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, John Melfi, Allen Coulter and Max Borenstein. Paramount Television, Jagged Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions produced for HBO.
Despite an impressive roster of talent in front of and behind the camera, Vinyl's two-hour series premiere in February 2016 only averaged 764,000 viewers in Live+Same Day numbers. The show was still quickly renewed for a second season because of its auspices. But the drama was also very expensive - with it being reported the pilot cost about $30 million and the entire first season cost $100 million. Plus, the network had already been planning a change in showrunner ahead of the second season - with Scott Z. Burns coming in to replace Winter. But now, the premium cable network has decided that none of those efforts can turn the show around - either creatively or commercially.
