Warner Bros. Discovery made headlines in August when HBO Max subscribers began noticing original shows and movies leaving the platform. However, Netflix has removed many original shows too. Since 2017, several shows billed as originals have left the platform for different reasons.
Most Netflix originals are wholly owned by the streamer like the recent smash hits Stranger Things and Bridgerton. However, some shows are simply distributed by Netflix, like many of the BBC shows that have come and gone from the platform. Netflix has also removed time-specific content like New Year’s Day countdowns, notes What’s On Netflix.
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The most notable Netflix exit involves the Marvel Television shows Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher. Netflix canceled the shows in 2018 and they disappeared from the service in March 2022. Two weeks later, they resurfaced on Disney+ and Disney has slowly begun using the characters in new Marvel Cinematic Universe projects. Scroll on for a look at six times Netflix removed major shows from the platform.
Marvel Shows
In October 2013, Marvel Television struck a deal with Netflix to produce a collection of connected shows for the streamer, focusing on the “street-level” New York heroes Daredevil, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage. After establishing the four characters in their solo shows, they would unite for the limited series The Defenders. Each show lasted at least two seasons, and Dareveil inspired a sixth series featuring The Punisher. The ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe were extremely limited.
In February, Netflix noted that all six Marvel shows were set to be removed on March 1. That was because Disney was getting back the rights to use the characters for their own projects. On March 16, the shows resurfaced on Disney+. Due to the adult nature of the shows, Disney+ added parental controls just for them so they would be unedited. Daredevil actors Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio have both appeared in MCU-connected projects and a new Daredevil series is in development at Disney+.
Bad Blood
Bad Blood is a Canadian series that first aired on CityTV before Netflix picked up international distribution in November 2018. The show’s only two seasons were available on the streamer for just over three years before they left in June 2022. The critically acclaimed seires starred Anthony LaPaglia as Montreal crime boss Vito Rizzuto. Kim Coates starred in both seasons as Declan Gardiner, who leads the Rizzuto family after Vito goes to prison. Bad Blood is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
Chewing Gum
Before Michaela Coel won an armful of Emmys for I May Destroy You, she starred in Chewing Gum (2015-2016). The E4 series was based on her play Chewing Gum Dreams and she plays a shop assistant who wants to have sex and learn more about the world. It left Netflix in April 2020 and resurfaced on HBO Max in February 2021.
Slasher
Slasher, an anthology horror series, is one of the more unique cases in Netflix’s history. The show originally debuted on the now-defunct NBCUniversal network Chiller in the U.S. After Chiller ceased operations, Netflix licensed the show and revived it for a second season. When distributor Kew Media Group went bankrupt, the show left Netflix in April 2020. The show eventually returned to Netflix, but a fourth (and upcoming fifth) season was produced for Shudder.
The Killing
Although Netflix helped revive The Killing for a fourth season, the show is no longer available on the platform. The series was produced by Fox Television Studios, which is now owned by Disney and was renamed Touchstone Television. The series is now available to stream on Hulu.
Shows Removed After Government Censorship Requests
In June 2019, Netflix learned the risks of making every original available in every country. The streamer agreed to remove an episode of Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj in Saudi Arabia because it was critical of the country’s government. Minhaj criticized the U.S.’s ties to the regime after the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In February 2020, Netflix released a list of other shows that have been removed because of government censorship requests. The Last Hangover, The Last Temptation of Christ, Cooking on High, The Legend of 240, and Disjointed were all banned from Singapore. When Netflix had the streaming rights to George A. Romero’s classic Night of the Living Dead, it was not available in Germany because the film is banned there.
