We won’t be getting a Scott Z. Burns version of “Vinyl” after all, with HBO now pulling the plug on the unpopular record-industry drama.
What changed HBO’s mind is a mystery, since season two was aborted before a single script for it was written. My guess is director Martin Scorsese, credited as a co-creator on the drama, was proving a colossal pain in HBO’s ass. Also, the channel may have had second thoughts about installing would-be new showrunner Burns, who has yet to have any teleplay produced.
Burns, who wrote three terrific and acclaimed movies -- “The Informant!” “Contagion” and “Side Effects” -- for Steven Soderbergh, was hired to run season two of “Vinyl” after first-season showrunner Terence Winter (who also ran HBO’s much more popular “Boardwalk Empire”) departed “Vinyl” over creative differences.
My Spidey-sense tells me those creative differences were with Martin Scorsese, who may have elected to exert much more creative control over the terrible “Vinyl” than he did over the excellent “Boardwalk Empire,” whose pilot he directed.
“After careful consideration, we have decided not to proceed with a second season of Vinyl,” HBO said in a statement. “Obviously, this was not an easy decision. We have enormous respect for the creative team and cast for their hard work and passion on this project.”
