HBO Is Ending Its Best Thriller Series After Season 5 — Here's Why

2 weeks ago 9

Image via HBO

Published Mar 30, 2026, 11:38 AM EDT

In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Harlan Coben, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

The eyes of HBO Max subscribers are looking ahead this week, thanks to the release of a trailer for the upcoming first season of the small-screen Harry Potter adaptation. This Christmas, Dominic McLaughlin will take his first steps as the titular Boy Who Lived, joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. However, it's easy to get swept up in the magic of the Wizarding World and forget the incredible content already released by HBO this year.

From the hit medical drama The Pitt starring Noah Wyle to an impressive debut season for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, 2026 has already been great for HBO Max subscribers. Perhaps the most underrated new arrival this year so far was the fourth season of Industry, the acclaimed drama created by former investment bankersMickey Down and Konrad Kay. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series earned a near-perfect score of 96% from critics, with the consensus reading, "Betting on its own adaptability after resetting the board and analyzing new market forces, Industry yields a handsome payout with this sterling fourth season."

So impressive was Season 4 that it was quickly announced that the show would be returning for a fifth outing. Alas, this fifth outing would be its last, much to the dismay of fans. In a new interview, HBO boss Casey Bloys has discussed why the choice was made to end the series now, saying, In terms of 'why now?', I mean, it’s been five seasons… I think five seasons is a really good run." He added, "They’ve reinvented it so many times and taken these characters where they plan to take them in season five, so it felt like a good place to leave them." Bloys is also eager to see what the creators do next, adding, "I’d also like to see what else [Konrad and Mickey] want to do, and I think they felt that as well. I’d love to see what else they could do."

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What is Everyone Watching on HBO Max?

Currently, both in the U.S. and worldwide, the aforementioned medical drama The Pitt is the most-watched show on HBO Max. This comes following the most recent 12th episode of the second season, "6:00 P.M.," which has already earned a huge 8.9/10 rating on IMDb. On the movie charts, subscribers are getting into the Wizarding World spirit as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone tops the global ranks. In the U.S., the most-watched movie is currently From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, the 2025 spin-off of the hit action franchise.

For more updates on Industry and other HBO shows, make sure to stay tuned to Collider.