Out of Luck

Last week, HBO's show, "Luck," ran into some trouble. As production began on the second season, a third horse suffered an accident and had to be euthanized. This caused an uproar, an investigation, and suspension of filming. Just a few hours later, HBO pulled the plug, canceling the show.

It seemed like a big move, and a surprising move considering the show had been renewed and was working on the second season. One critic noted that the decision likely costs HBO millions of dollars which had already been spent on pre-production, scripts, and actor costs for a show that will never air.

What's even stranger is, while all this is swirling off screen, "Luck" is in the run up to its first season finale. The eighth episode aired Sunday night and the first season finale will air Sunday night. It's a strange juxtaposition as the network, on-air, tries to promote a show airing, while behind the scenes it's fallen apart.

It is hard to deny the creative credentials of the series — which came from David Milch ("Deadwood") and Michael Mann ("Heat," "Collateral") — and stars Dustin Hoffman. And the series, which is set in and around the world of horse racing at Santa Anita in California, has been creatively successful. It's a bit of a downer and the first season, which had nine episodes, has been a bit slow, but it's been building to something. It's building to something that won't be resolved next Sunday and, now, will likely never be resolved.

But then there's the case of the dead animals. Despite the fact that the show claims to have had the highest safety standards and practices, the dead animals have been a black eye for those involved with production and for HBO. That combined with the mildly successful ratings made it an easy call for HBO — sacrifice some money but save face. And with a strong slate of shows coming out the balance of 2012, it's easy to think "Luck" will be forgotten.

So ends the curious case of "Luck," a high pedigree show with promise that has met a curious end due to the trouble behind the scenes. Here's to hoping there's at least a bit of closure by the time the credits roll on Sunday night.