The Knick: why was it cancelled after two seasons?

If you've just found The Knick — or watched it years ago and still feel robbed — here's what happened behind the scenes.

The show

The Knick premiered on Cinemax in 2014. Set in New York City around 1900 at the fictional Knickerbocker Hospital, it starred Clive Owen as Dr. John Thackery — brilliant surgeon, severe cocaine and opium addiction — and André Holland as Dr. Algernon Edwards, a Black surgeon fighting institutional racism at every turn.

Steven Soderbergh directed all 20 episodes himself and brought a restless, handheld energy that felt nothing like a typical period piece. Two seasons, ten episodes each. Critically adored. Barely watched.

Why it was cancelled

Three things, none of them about quality:

• Wrong channel. Cinemax greenlit the show as a rebranding move — an attempt to be seen as more than action and late-night content. It didn't work. The audience Cinemax wanted never showed up. Soderbergh: "It was clear at the end of the second season that it wasn't doing what we wanted it to do for that channel."
• Too expensive. Period drama with elaborate sets, turn-of-the-century costumes, and practical surgery effects. The viewership couldn't justify that kind of budget.
• Bad timing at HBO. When Cinemax passed, the show went to HBO for consideration. HBO's budget was already spoken for. "It just showed up at the wrong time at the wrong place," Soderbergh said. "We didn't have the juice to make it happen."

Cinemax made it official in March 2017 and pivoted back to action dramas.

Does the ending work as a finale?

For Thackery — yes. Season 2 ends with him dying on the operating table after attempting surgery on himself. Devastating, but it fits the character. The bigger picture, though, was supposed to keep going. Soderbergh had planned six seasons total, jumping forward in time with new characters every two seasons — similar to what The Crown later did. The hospital's story was meant to stretch well into the 20th century.

Any chance of a revival?

In 2020, Soderbergh announced that André Holland and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) were developing a new, time-jumped season with the original writers. Holland said at Sundance 2024 they were "working very hard to make it happen."

But HBO passed on the scripts in late 2023, and as of now there's no confirmed home. Scripts are being reworked, and Holland keeps urging fans to keep the conversation alive. So — possible, but far from certain.

Both seasons are worth your time if you haven't seen them.