Ballers season five premiered on HBO in America on Sunday, August 25 for one last outing. The series first launched back in 2015 and has been a hit since then. Season one of the show received a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is certified as 81 percent fresh. Sadly, the show has seen a decline in popularity with season three only getting a 60 percent rating.
Why has Ballers been cancelled?
Lead star Johnson recently took to social media to confirm Ballers would be coming to an end after season five.
In a heartfelt post, the former wrestler-turned-actor posted a video on Instagram to his 155 million followers.
The video was captioned: “Cheers to our FINAL SEASON of @HBO’s BALLERS
“My heart is full of gratitude to all of you for rockin’ with us every season.
READ MORE: Ballers season 5 release date, cast, trailer, plot
Ballers season 5 will be the last one for the HBO comedy (Image: SKY)
“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.
“I love you, I thank you and enjoy our final season of BALLERS. This SUNDAY on @HBO.”
In the video, Johnson told his fans: “Alright, I’ve got some pretty cool news to share with you guys. My partners have asked that I deliver this announcement to you, which I am happily doing, proudly by the way.
READ MORE: Ballers season 4 streaming: How to watch Ballers online and download
“It’s actually been a very cool week of news. A lot of good stuff, cool stuff has been happening that I’ve been able to share with your guys.
“Anyway, the cool news rolls on because this is Sunday, as many of you will know, will be our fifth season of Ballers.”
He continued: “And the cool news is… this season of Ballers will be our final and very last season of the show.”
The star went on to thank those involved in Ballers and expressed his gratitude for being involved in the project.
Ballers season 5: Dwayne Johnson has opened up about the end of the show (Image: SKY)
While no reason has been given as to while the show is coming to an end, it could be down to ratings.
Season four’s finale only managed to pull in 600,000 compared HBO stablemate Barry with the series two finale drawing in 2.21 million in comparison.
When Ballers first started, it was a ratings hit and became the most-watched scripted comedy series on HBO, Collider reported.
But with Barry season two following hot on the heels of HBO global phenomenon Games of Thrones, Ballers was soon eclipsed.
Ballers season 5 will have a definitive ending (Image: SKY)
Luckily, the writers of Ballers knew the end was nigh and have come up with a fitting end to wrap up the series, so fans won’t have to worry about any loose ends.
Season five sees Spencer Stanmore (played by Dwayne Johnson) coming out of retirement after he’s offered the chance to become the first black majority team owner in the history of the NFL.
Meanwhile, following his split from Spencer, Joe Krutel (Rob Coddry) sees an opportunity for him and his new partner Lance Klians (Russell Brand).
There will be trouble in the horizon for Ricky Jerret (John David Washington) with Charles Greane (Omar Miller).
Ballers was an initial ratings hit for HBO (Image: SKY)
In the meantime, Vernon Littelfield (Donovan Carter) could be leaving the world of football behind but Reggie (London Brown) will be less than impressed.
The final series of Ballers has yet to get a UK release date after previously airing on British channel Sky Atlantic.
According to Geek Town, Ballers is going to be moving over to the UK broadcaster’s new channel Sky Comedy which is expected to be launching in February 2020.
Season five is potentially not going to be airing in the UK until then, which means UK fans are in for a bit of a wait.
Ballers season 5 airs on HBO on Sundays
