HBO shuts down “Luck” for good

Update 3/15/12: In the wake of the third death of a horse during the production of the HBO series “Luck,” the network announced moments ago that it is ending production of the highly-touted series at Santa Anita Park. The expensive series created by Emmy-winner David Milch, executive produced by Milch and Michael Mann, and starring Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte, local Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, and many others, was in the midst of shooting a second season at the track.

Production was halted this week after a freak accident in a non-filming incident Tuesday when a horse being led to a barn suddenly reared back. The horse flipped over and landed on its head and had to be euthanized. During the production of the first season of nine episodes last year, two horses suffered fatal injuries during production.

In a joint statement released late this afternoon by HBO, Milch and Mann said, “The two of us loved this series, loved the cast, crew and writers. This has been a tremendous collaboration and one that we plan to continue in the future.”

News that HBO renewed “Luck” and was starting production on a second season was huge news for Santa Anita, which enjoys significant ancillary revenue from each day of production. The track was using the celebrity-factor and profile of the series in its marketing. But production on the new season was only six days into shooting scenes for the first and second episodes of the planned ten-episode season when the incident occurred.

On Thursday, Santa Anita officials released a statement noting that the decision was HBO’s alone and expressing sadness over the loss of the horses and the many ‘Luck’-related jobs that have now been eliminated.

“Going in, we felt this was a great opportunity to reach a younger demographic and in many cases, expose them to our great sport for the first time,” said thoroughbred horse owner Mark Verge, speaking on behalf of the Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita Park. “Although Santa Anita looked magnificent on screen it’s safe to say this is a missed opportunity on several levels.”

Production was also beneficial to Arcadia in raising the visibility and prestige of the town, which also benefits from the success of the track, and to nearby businesses like Rod’s Grill which was used frequently as a shooting location outside the track.

But the program had not generated the ratings that had been expected or hoped, averaging only about 625,000 total viewers per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In Thursday’s statement, the Stronach Group hinted that not everyone was thrilled with the portrait of the horse racing industry people portrayed in the series, saying, “…that many have expressed disappointment in the direction some of the characters and episodes had gone.” Nonetheless, the Stronach statement said, “All of us here at Santa Anita, including horsemen, management and employees are deeply saddened… While it was the totally unpredictable result of the filly being frightened and then flipping over backwards as she was being hand-walked to her stall, we nonetheless feel badly for the horse and all of those involved with her care.”

A statement from HBO read as follows:

It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series LUCK.

Safety is always of paramount concern. We maintained the highest safety standards throughout production, higher in fact than any protocols existing in horse racing anywhere with many fewer incidents than occur in racing or than befall horses normally in barns at night or pastures. While we maintained the highest safety standards possible, accidents unfortunately happen and it is impossible to guarantee they won’t in the future. Accordingly, we have reached this difficult decision.

We are immensely proud of this series, the writing, the acting, the filmmaking, the celebration of the culture of horses, and everyone involved in its creation.

— By Scott Hettrick