Mike Myers once promised fans an animated Austin Powers television series for HBO, but the project was quietly shelved and never made it to screen. The plan dates back to the years after Myers left Saturday Night Live in 1995, and its abandonment is notable given how the adult animation genre has since become hugely popular.

HBO had ordered a 13-episode season, with Myers set to write, executive produce and voice the show, alongside collaborators Brian Posehn and screenwriter Nicholas Stoller. Myers described the writing process as "a joke orphanage", drawing on leftover material from his prolific Saturday Night Live years. The reasons for the cancellation remain unclear, though the article speculates it may relate to Beyoncé's casting in the third Austin Powers film. Myers has since kept busy with roles in Shrek, Bohemian Rhapsody and Inglourious Basterds, and recently revealed a fourth Austin Powers film is in production.