David Zaslav defends Warner Bros. Discovery cuts: ‘We did not get rid of any show that was helping us’
David Zaslav, former president of the studio’s marketing and advertising department, says the studio’s new programming and programming decisions were sound and should not be criticized.
He also defended the studio’s decision to trim two new science fiction programs, “Raza” and “Eureka,” from their initial orders.
“Why should they be criticized? We got rid of two shows that were not helping us and we did not lose a show that was actually good,” Zaslav told the Hollywood Reporter. “We did not get rid of any show that was helping us.”
Last week, Warner Bros. canceled plans for a new version of “Star Trek: Discovery” following a second season that was poorly reviewed and had not even begun filming. The cancellation made a lot of sense because of the huge cost — $1.9 billion — for a television show created with the original cast and crew that had the backing of a studio that had been on the brink of the end of its days.
The show’s story was very compelling, said Zaslav, who said it had “a lot of heart.” But he also cited the cost in terms of the financial viability of the studio’s other shows, and the long way the show had been built before it was even shown to the public.
“It’s hard to imagine now why we were OK with canceling it when we had no idea where it was going,” Zaslav said.
The studio also canceled two other new science fiction franchises, “Eureka” and “Raza,” that had been in the works for more than four years, Zaslav said.
Still, Zaslav said the two canceled shows had both had strong fan bases. But he