HBO Cancels Major Show Once Again After Initial Revival in 2021

Just a year following its anticipated return, HBO has canceled In Treatment, a drama series that was just revived in 2021 after over a decade off the air. According to a report by Deadline, the cancellation was announced alongside other big programming news from HBO, including the renewal of Curb Your Enthusiasm and True Detective. It said that In Treatment Season 4 was always meant to be a one-off.

In Treatment is a unique drama series about a psychotherapist treating several patients. In the show, the therapist sees one of these patients each day of the week, so the show originally aired a new episode 5 nights per week for the duration of its season. The characters are often connected somehow, and the therapist has their own life and treatment to contend with. The original was about therapist Paul Weston, played by Gabriel Byrne, but the revival was about Dr. Brooke Taylor, played by Uzo Aduba.

In Treatment was really set apart from other shows of its kind by its unique airing format. It started with five episodes per week – one for each of Paul’s patients and then one featuring his session with his therapist and friend, Gina Toll (Dianne Wiest). The first season had a total of 43 episodes, Season 2 had 35 episodes and Season 3 had 28 episodes.

The revival did not quite match this pace, but it was a huge show compared to the compact prestige dramas we are familiar with today. Season 4 had 24 episodes in total, with four airing per week. It premiered in May of 2021. The critical response to the revival was excellent – it has 96 percent positive reviews with 24 verified critics weighing in on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the average audience score is just 38 percent positive, with 72 users leaving their feedback.

According to Deadline, HBO had always planned for this revival to be a one-off season. The announcement accompanied some other big news from HBO including possible renewals for Curb Your Enthusiasm and Mare of Easttown as well as a possible revival of True Detective. The outlet had direct quotes from HBO executive Casey Bloys for some of these stories, but nothing directly about In Treatment.

In Treatment Season 4 was from co-showrunners Jennifer Schuur and Joshua Allen. In addition to Aduba it starred Anthony Ramos, John Benjamin Hickey, Quintessa Swindell, Charlayne Woodard, Liza Colón-Zayas and Joel Kinnaman. So far, none of them have commented on the show’s cancellation on social media. All four seasons of In Treatment are streaming now on HBO Max.