Even Netflix original series cannot stay in Netflix’s catalog forever, and now two of the earliest shows are being removed. According to a report by What’s On Netflix, Hemlock Grove was removed from the service on Saturday, Oct. 22, and Lilyhammer will follow on Monday, Nov. 21.
Hemlock Grove and Lilyhammer are two of Netflix’s oldest original series. The former premiered in 2013, when Netflix was first establishing itself as a production company. It co-produced Hemlock Grove with Gaumont International Television in a deal that gave Netflix distribution rights up until last month. For some reason, Gaumont decided to rescind those rights, and it’s not clear yet if there is a different venue in line for the show.
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The same is reportedly true for Lilyhammer. The crime dramedy was co-produced with another company in a deal that put its international distribution rights into different hands. Lilyhammer will leave Netflix on Monday, Nov. 21, and it’s not clear when or where it might be available again.
Because distribution rights vary from country to country, there are some places in the world where you will still be able to watch these shows on Netflix. However, the U.S. will not be one of them. Meanwhile, Hemlock Grove at least is available on DVD and Blu-ray in what appear to be officially licensed releases. Home video versions of Lilyhammer seem to be more dubious.
The fact that these shows are not easily accessible on streaming services or home video raises concerns about piracy. Many people have long held that internet piracy is a symptom of access, not money – including Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland in a recent interview with PopCulture.com. Speaking about recent cuts in the animation industry, he said: “It’s an access problem, a service problem not a money problem. Not a price problem… People are going to – if it’s really easy to get to their content, they’re not going to pirate it, but you’re creating a scenario where people are going to get into the habit of pirating.”
With that in mind, hopefully, the companies holding the rights for Hemlock Grove and Lilyhammer will decide on a new U.S. distributor soon. For now, Lilyhammer is still available on Netflix for about a month.
