“John from Cincinnati” will not be returning to HBO for a second season, the cable channel announced Tuesday.

HBO announced Tuesday its decision to discontinue airing “John from Cincinnati,” the surfer drama that premiered June 10, directly after the much talked about finale of “The Sopranos.”

Cancellations are rare at HBO and “John from Cincinnati” had a short life indeed, only one season. The decision is probably due to poor ratings and mixed reviews from critics.

While “John” had its share of enthusiastic fans, these were only a small group, clearly not enough to convince HBO bosses to sustain the project any further.

The show, starring Bruce Greenwood and Rebecca De Mornay, was created by David Milch (of “Deadwood” fame) and screenwriter Kem Nunn. Nunn, described as a “surf noir” novelist, had worked before with Milch on “Deadwood.”

Milch, who takes credit for creating, writing and producing “Deadwood,” also co-created “NYPD Blue.”

“John from Cincinnati” focused on surfing culture in Imperial Beach, California and especially on the impact of a stranger named John, played by Austin Nichols, on a troubled family passionate about surfing.

While “John” has been washed away, HBO and David Milch are still collaborating. According to Variety, Milch will soon be busy developing a show about a Vietnam veteran who returns to the US and joins the NYPD. The action is set in the 1970s.

Milch will reportedly draw his inspiration from Bill Clark’s own experience. Clark is a longtime collaborator and an executive producer of the longstanding and successful “NYPD Blue.”

According to Variety, Milch has said in the past that cop show would be about a man who was “recruited as a soldier while he was overseas, to come back as a disaffected veteran and infiltrate the antiwar movement, as a shortcut into the New York City police force as a detective,” adding that the story is a “tragic” one.

HBO and Milch might also collaborate on two “Deadwood” movies, but the feasibility of such a project remains to be seen.