Popular Netflix Shows Are Missing From Library for Ad-Supported Subscription Plan

By Daniel S. Levine

Netflix launched the "Basic With Ads" plan on Thursday, and as expected, not everything is available to subscribers at that level. Some of the most popular originals like The Crown and House of Cards, and licensed shows like Breaking Bad and Grey's Anatomy cannot be streamed if you have only subscribed to this new tier. Basic With Ads launched at 9 a.m. ET Thursday morning, as previously announced, and is also available in 11 other countries.

The streamer teased the ad-supported tier for months before finally announcing the details in October. The plan costs $6.99 per month and does not impact subscribers with ad-free Basic, Standard, and Premium plans. There will be four to five minutes of commercials per hour, and video quality is only 720p/HD. Newer movies may only have commercials before the films start.

Executives never said all content would be available to Basic With Ads subscribers. Some movies and television shows will not be available due to licensing restrictions. As The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week, Netflix still does not have revised deals with Sony, NBCUniversal, The Walt Disney Company, Lions Gate Entertainment, and other licensors that would allow them to include advertising in their content. Netflix executives have said in the past that between 5% and 10% of titles would not be available to Basic With Ads subscribers.

Scroll on for a list of some of the Netflix shows not available to Basic With Ads subscribers.

How to find out if a show or movie is unavailable

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(Photo: Getty Images)

Netflix did make it easy for Basic With Ads subscribers to learn if a show is unavailable to them. Shows like Hosue of Cards will feature a lock icon in the top right corner of the show's logo. If you click on the show, a block reading "change plan to watch" replaces the "play" button, notes The Streamable.

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The Crown

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(Photo: Keith Bernstein/Netflix)

The Crown fans still have to retain their Basic plans at the least to watch the show before Season 5 premieres. The controversial series tracks the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her family. The upcoming new season will be released on Nov. 9 and follows the U.K. royal family through its most difficult decade, the 1990s.

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House of Cards

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(Photo: Netflix)

One of the first Netflix originals, House of Cards' distribution is handled by Sony Pictures Television. Sony and Netflix have not come to terms on a new licensing deal that would allow the streamer to include ads on House of Cards or any other Sony show. House of Cards' six seasons were released between 2013 and 2018.

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Breaking Bad

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(Photo: AMC)

Breaking Bad is also unavailable to Basic With Ads. Although the series aired on AMC, it gained popularity on Netflix. It is distributed by Sony Pictures Television, as is El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Better Call Saul.

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Arrested Development

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(Photo: Netflix)

Arrested Development was one of the first networks shows Netflix revived. The show originally aired on Fox from 2003 to 2006. After Netflix licensed the series in 2011, interest in the show was revived, leading to Netflix ordering a fourth season. There was also a fifth season, released in two batches in 2018 and 2019. The series was produced by 20th Century Fox Television, now the Disney-owned 20th Television.

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Other Unavailable Shows

Many other shows Netflix licensed from other studios are unavailable. These include:

  • Peaky Blinders
  • New Girl
  • The Magicians
  • The Last Kingdom
  • The Sinner
  • Good Girls
  • The Good Place
  • Friday Night Lights
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • How to Get Away with Murder
  • Cobra Kai
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