Joss Whedon's 'The Nevers' canceled at HBO with half the season unaired; 'Westworld' leaving HBO Max

If you have yet to catch up on Westworld and The Nevers, then we suggest heading over to HBO Max at your earliest convince. That's because Variety (and a whole host of other reputable outlets) bring word that both high-profile titles will be leaving the platform in the near future as Warner Bros. Discovery continues to slash costs under the leadership of new CEO, David Zaslav.

The Joss Whedon-created Nevers remains an interesting case, given that the second half of its debut season hasn't even aired yet, though "sources" mentioned by Variety state the odds are good that the remaining episodes could premiere on the service (or another service, if the studio licenses it out) sometime in the new year. Set against the backdrop of Victorian-era England, the series follows a number of women with paranormal abilities.

Westworld, on the other hand, was officially canceled in early November after a four-season run, though WB Discovery stills owes between $10 - $15 million to a number of core cast members — Evan Rachel Wood (Dolores), Thandiwe Newton (Maeve), Jeffrey Wright (Bernard), Aaron Paul (Caleb), and Ed Harris (The Man in Black) — for an unmade fifth installment. A tale of humanity's hubris in the age of artificial intelligence, the android-centric endeavor was adapted from the Michael Crichton film of the same name.

Removing flagship titles from HBO Max leaves the company free to stop paying out residuals to the actors and creatives involved with each show (upon taking over, Zaslav promised to continue tightening the corporate belt until a total of $3.5 billion was saved).

Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan don't have much to worry about since they signed a lucrative, multi-year production deal with Amazon Studios (one valued at $150 million), which includes projects like The Peripheral and an upcoming adaptation of the Fallout video game franchise. Even so, Warner's unpredictable cost-cutting isn't a good sign for less influential creators who rely on the world of streaming to collect a steady paycheck. If prestige-level programming isn't safe from Zaslav's purge, then no one is.

In addition to Westworld and The Nevers, Minx and Love Life and Sony TV’s Gordita Chronicles are also set to leave HBO Max, though it's likely all of them could "resurface on other company platforms," reports Deadline. Minx was also canceled, despite receiving a second season renewal back in May. As many have pointed out, writers, producers, directors, and actors may be wary of collaborating with HBO Max in the future for fear of broken promises.

Looking for some sci-fi fun and adventure? Check out Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, Warehouse 13, Eureka, SYFY's Resident Alien, Sliders, Intergalactic and more on Peacock now.