Over two seasons of great sci-fi TV,Raised by Wolvesestablished itself as one of the most bizarre, unique, and intelligent stories in the modern medium. Unfortunately, the series appears to be doomed to end on an unresolved cliffhanger, unless someone or something can provide the series with a much-needed ride to a new home.
The firstseason ofRaised by Wolvespremiered only four months after the launch of HBO Max, and became its most-watched program. Despite originally being ordered to series by TNT, the show became one of the flagship properties of HBO’s streaming service. The series continued to be successful throughout its two-season run.
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For the uninitiated,Raised by Wolvestells the story of humanity reduced to a fraction of its former greatness by an apocalyptic war. Mankind was divided into a dominantreligion called the Mithraicand the atheist forces who opposed them. Their war rendered Earth uninhabitable, leaving most of humanity to die. The Mithraic, after claiming a pyrrhic victory, fled the planet for the nearest similar world, which turns out to be Kepler-22b. However, an atheist prodigy seizes a ship, reprograms two androids, and sends them to the newfound planet with several human embryos to raise the next generation.The newly christened Mother, an extremely powerful war machine, and Father, a helpful service android, are tasked with parenting under difficult conditions. When the war follows them to Kepler, strange occurrences threaten to end mankind and signal the rise of something else entirely.
The cancellation ofRaised by Wolveswas confirmed by the network on June 7th by HBO. This news comes three months after theconclusion of the second season, which was critically praised and extremely popular. The show remains among the networks' most popular shows, leading many to question why HBO would cancel it. Tweets by one of the show’s stars, Abubakar Salim (who portrays Father), suggest that the recent merger between Warner Media and Discovery might be to blame. Many fans had suggested that theory before Salim all but confirmed it. A corporate merger is often a messy affair that can lead to the unfortunate loss of many small pieces. The merger likely occurred with the goal of consolidating every marketable IP possible; however, leavingRaised by Wolveson the table feels like a waste. Unfortunately, the show has likely fulfilled its usefulness to the network.
The money is all on-screen for this show; it couldn’t be made on a lesser budget. With that in mind, it’s terribly unlikely that another service will pick up the baton. HBO feels they’ve gotten all the notoriety they’ll get for this weird little sci-fi show, and they’re moving on. Whether they’re right or not, streaming services believe that audiences demand novelty. Tragically, this dooms some of the most interesting and original stories everconceived to go forever unfinished. IfRaised by Wolvescontinues, it’ll be because of an unheard-of level of fan outcry directed at HBO Max.
For fans who want to see the story concluded,here’s the most popular petitionfor the series' renewal. Fans are also Tweeting with the hashtag #RenewRaisedByWolves. Things don’t look good for the story of Mother and Father, and that’s a shame, but try to enjoy the small wonder of the show existing in the first place.
