Great Shows Netflix Dropped and Hulu Picked Up

Michael Hein

02/17/2018 09:41 pm EST

Netflix's at-home streaming service launched in 2006, and since then it's become a ubiquitous part of nearly every home around the world. However, the company isn't done changing yet.

Netflix changed the way people watch movies and TV fundamentally, and the rest of the entertainment industry has basically been forced to adapt. Today, cable networks, movie studios and other companies are scrambling to get a proprietary streaming service up and running so that they can compete with Netflix and cash in on those subscription dollars.

All the while, Netflix has invested their fortune into new content. In order to invest in the company's future, Netflix is relying more and more on original content. Just last year, they reportedly spent $90 million to make Bright, a movie that's available to stream for eight dollars a month just like everything else on their website.

All of this innovation is great, but it means that Netflix is moving away from the thing that drew many people in in the first place: classic TV at the tips of the users' fingers.

When Netflix launched their streaming service, people were awed and delighted to see every single episode of Friends, The Office, and Breaking Bad at their disposal, to name a few. This gave birth to the age of binge-watching, and contributed in many ways to the golden age of TV. People began watching what they wanted on their own schedules and discussing TV like book clubs.

Today, when you log onto Netflix, you'll see an endless swath of ambitious Netflix Original Series, documentaries and movies. Many of those programs are great, and the company shows no signs of failure, but as they bring in more new and originally content, much of the beloved older shows are falling off.

Sometimes, viewers simply aren't in the mood for something new. They're lying in bed with the flu, or they're dozing off in a hotel. Sometimes they just want background noise while they're studying or cooking.

Thankfully, those beloved intellectual properties had to go somewhere, and many of them found a home on Hulu. The streaming service is expanding its catalogue, slowly becoming a kind of television encyclopaedia, and for many more casual TV fans, that makes it the superior option.

If you're looking for an old show to binge watch, or that old favorite you want to re-watch for the millionth time, here's a look at some of the classics that landed on Hulu.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is one of the strangest, most improbable breakout hits of all time. It's weirdly compelling in its moral ambiguity and shamelessness.

It's Always Sunny lived on Netflix for a long time, with new seasons being added as they aired. When the streaming service had to dump The Gang from their roster, many people panicked, wondering what could fill the void of the oddball group of small business owners.

Thankfully, Sunny is available in its entirety on Hulu.

How I Met Your Mother

This time-staggered romcom, inexplicably narrated by Bob Saget, was practically designed for binge watching. How I Met Your Mother is framed as one man relating all of his zany adventures as a young man in New York to his two kids, all in the context of explaining how he met their mother.

The show had its ups and downs, and most fans had at least a couple seasons that they weren't crazy about — to say nothing of the controversial ending. Still, they felt that it was a crime when Netflix quietly took all nine seasons down years after it was over.

Those people looking to revisit the misadventures of Ted Mosby will be glad to know the show is on Hulu, ready and waiting.

Bob's Burgers

Bob's Burgers proved to the world that an animated show for adults doesn't need to be explicit or grotesque. In fact, the show is most beloved for its wholesomeness, in many cases. Bob's Burgers is still on, and new episodes are added to Hulu as the premiere. Thankfully, the entire series is also available there as well, since Netflix took the series down just recently.

South Park

Speaking of animation for adults, one of the most controversial shows of all time is no longer streaming on Netflix either. South Park was once available in its entirety on the service. Over time, the catalogue dwindled, offering only a couple seasons, then only the feature-length movie.

Finally, Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman said goodbye to Netflix. However, Hulu was waiting with open arms to scoop the show up. This show, too, is still in production, and new episodes are added as they premiere.

30 Rock

One of the most unlikely departures from Netflix was 30 Rock. The show was a staple of the platform's binge-watching culture.

Add to that the fact that one of Netflix's most popular original comedies, Ubreakable Kimmy Schmidt, is created by the same producers and studios as 30 Rock, and you'd think the streaming giant would want to hold onto the iconic show-about-a-show.

If you need a dose of Liz Lemon sensibilities, you still have Hulu to turn to. All seven seasons are available to watch now.

Last Man Standing

Fans of the Tim Allen-led sitcom Last Man Standing were furious when ABC cancelled it after its sixth season. The show became the crux of a huge controversy, as fans felt the cancellation represented a political bias.

The show follows a staunch republican family man named Mike Baxter clashing with his all-female household. Viewers couldn't accept the network's promise that it was a coincidence that they cancelled the show right around the time President Donald Trump was elected.

Shortly after it was cancelled, Netflix dropped the show as well, meaning that fans couldn't even re-watch what existed before the show's untimely demise.

Hulu was there to fill the gap in the market. The show is still streaming, though even on Hulu on the first two seasons are available.

Ancient Aliens

The History Channel's speculative docuseries Ancient Aliens is a cultural hallmark for many Americans. It examines the fringe archaeological theory that Earth was visited by extra-terrestrials in the remote past.

True believers, harsh critics and mocking viewers all love the show. If nothing else it's fodder for incredible memes. Sadly, it left Netflix a couple seasons in, and fans were forced to look for "the truth" elsewhere.

Nowadays, however, the show is thriving on Hulu, and there's a lot to catch up on. In its recent eleventh season, Ancient Aliens has examined Antarctic pyramids, the mysteries of the moon and the secret UFO files of the Russian government.

Fixer Upper

The delightfully addictive genre of home renovation reality TV has blown up in recent years, and no show is more compelling than Fixer Upper. However, Chip and Joanna Gaines left Netflix not too long ago, making a Sunday afternoon HGTV binge harder to come by.

Thankfully, the show is on Hulu. Streaming adds a whole new layer to the aesthetic masterpiece, as fans can spend hours rebuilding homes with the Gaines family without lifting a finger.

Slide 9

Netflix brought the conspiratorial joy of The X-Files to a whole new generation of believers, when all nine original seasons appeared at once in the streaming catalogue.

The show's resurgent popularity even prompted a revival, when the show returned to TV in 2016 after 14 years off the air. The newly rebooted cryptologist team is still going strong, with the eleventh season on the air now. The show's creator, Chris Carter, says that the series may continue into a twelfth season, despite Gillain Anderson's departure.

Whether it was because of the revival or other factors, The X-Files mysteriously disappeared from Netflix queues across the world. However, for those that want to believe, the whole show is up on Hulu.

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