‘The Brink’ Cancelled: Why HBO Decided Not To Renew Series After All

HBO has reportedly decided to take the fairly new series, The Brink, into a different direction.

Instead of sticking with the initial decision to renew the series, according to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO has apparently decided to cancel the series.

HBO’s #TheBrink Canceled — After Season 2 Renewal https://t.co/xWS2mlabEJ

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 27, 2015

The network issued an official statement about the series’ cancellation on Tuesday, focusing on the lack of attention that the network can give the comedy series going forward.

“After evaluating our schedule and our programming needs, we unfortunately decided we cannot give ‘The Brink’ the attention it deserves for a second season. We are proud of the first season and wish everyone involved in this show the very best.”

The Brink starred a vast ensemble of actors and actresses – including Jack Black (Tropic Thunder,Goosebumps), Tim Robbins (War of the Worlds, Shawshank Redemption) and Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black).

The half-hour comedy series focused on a geopolitical crisis and how it affected three desperate men with differing backgrounds: a U.S. Secretary of State, a Foreign Service Officer, and a Navy fighter pilot.

During the winter TCA press tour earlier this year, according to IndieWire, Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins shared his honest opinion about the quality of the show.

“It’s a very exciting form of entertainment in that… it must be funny, but it is dealing with content and with issues that are relevant to how we are living today. The set was run in a very human way. This was actually a group of people who cared about their crew and their cast.”

In a May interview with Esquire magazine, Jack Black explained why he wanted to take on the role in the first place. His role on The Brink was definitely different from many of the other comedic roles that the Nacho Libre actor has become known for over the years.

However, according to Black, that type of risk is what attracted him to the role.

“I liked it because it was a risky project dealing with the Middle East and the Middle Eastern crisis and the political turmoil in that region. It’s referring to being on the brink of a third world war. When I say that it sounds like we’re talking about a real serious drama, but it’s not. It’s actually a comedy. It speaks to some of the great things that I’ve loved in the past, like my favorite movie Dr. Strangelove. A hilarious, dark comedy about World War III—it felt like it had that kind of potential.”

Black further explained that another major selling point of The Brink was the instrumental role that Jay Roach played behind the scenes as an executive producer and director.

Another actor from The Brink that took a step away from his comfort zone in order to join the project was Aasif Mandvi.

The longtime Daily Show correspondent took a big step away from the popular Comedy Central talk show in order to focus on writing for and starring in The Brink.

From a writer’s perspective, according to Vulture, Mandvi made it clear that the possibility of real-life events conflicting with storylines covered on The Brink apparently did not raise any concerns or uncertainties with the series’ development.

“For us it was really about telling the most interesting story and using not real-life events, but things that could happen in the world. The absurdity of the show comes from satirizing the people in our world who are in charge of the world. The situations they’re dealing with are potentially real situations, but how they deal with them is where the humor comes from.”

Even though The Brink is not returning to HBO for a second season, quite a few of its cast members already have projects lined up either on TV or the big screen in the future.

[Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]