Was Ballers Canceled? Here's Why The Dwayne Johnson Series Ended
One of HBO's most successful comedies of the last decade married Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson with football in the form of "Ballers." Given that the first love of the wrestler-turned-actor was football — he had aspirations of playing in the NFL — it was a good marriage, with the show running for five seasons on the premium cable network. The series came to an end in 2019, concluding the story of financial manager Spencer Strasmore. But why did HBO cancel the show, which featured one of the biggest stars on the planet?
The show sees Johnson playing Spencer, a retired NFL superstar who is trying to make it as a financial manager for current players as they navigate life off the field. The core cast also included the likes of Rob Corddry (Joe Krutel) and John David Washington (Ricky Jerret). Recently, "Ballers" exploded in popularity on Netflix as HBO licensed the rights to the show to the world's largest streaming service. It now has a new audience and a new group of viewers wondering why we didn't get a sixth season.
When it was announced that "Ballers" season 5 would conclude the show back in 2019, Johnson took to Instagram to share some thoughts with his fans. The Rock seemed pleased with the decision, with no hard feelings whatsoever. Here's what he had to say about the time:
"My heart is full of gratitude to all of you for rockin' with us every season. You made us HBO's highest rated comedy for years and most importantly, you helped create and sustain a platform for other actors to have the opportunity to work hard, grow and become household names. To me, the opportunity Ballers created for so many others, is the real gold of our show."
It was simply time for Ballers to end
That statement makes it sound like the decision to end the show was a natural thing. At the time it was reported that the fifth season was written "with an endgame in mind as a decision on the conclusion of the series was made months in advance." As such, fans weren't left with some big cliffhanger that needed to be resolved.
There are a few factors at play here. For one, Johnson is one of the most in-demand stars in the world, and a TV show schedule is very demanding. That being the case, "Ballers" was a big ask, as he was the series lead. Something like "Young Rock," for example, required less of his time. The show also probably became quite expensive. Not only did HBO have to pay Johnson, but the series producers also included Stephen Levinson (who created the show), Mark Wahlberg, and Peter Berg, among others. Not to mention paying the growing roster of stars, which also included the likes of Russell Brand and sportscaster Jay Glazer.
Most crucially though, the viewership for the series was dwindling significantly. "Ballers" season 1 averaged 1.7 million viewers per episode. It peaked in season 3, averaging nearly 1.9 million viewers. By season 5, average viewership was below half a million viewers. It's tough to justify an expensive show when the audience is showing signs of rapidly eroding.
In short, it was simply time for the show to end. Johnson seemed ready to move on, HBO was in a transitional phase with the launch of HBO Max around the corner, and viewership was in decline. All shows have to end eventually, and everyone involved decided to pull the plug on "Ballers" before it overstayed its welcome.