Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures & Television
An earthquake just hit Hollywood. After an intense bidding process, Netflix has emerged victorious, becoming the future shepherd of Warner Bros. and its TV and movie studios, as well as HBO and HBO Max.
It’s a monumental shift in the industry, and below we’re going to take a deep dive into the properties Netflix will gain library access to, as well as what it could make in the years to come. There are a lot more questions than answers right now, and those will be fleshed out in the months to come, but the Warner Bros. library is deep, and we want to give an overview of that below.
According to the California Museum, the Warner Bros. library consists of “6,650 feature films, 50,000 television titles, and 14,000 animated titles.” According to JustWatch, HBO Max is home to at least 3,600 titles, though many of those are from other providers.
Warner Bros. Television
Picture: Warner Bros Television
Beyond HBO, Warner Bros. Television is one of the world’s biggest TV studios, producing and distributing some of the industry’s biggest hits from the past and present with a library stretching back to the 1950s. The studio has been a big provider for most streamers in recent years, working with Apple TV+, Peacock, Prime Video, The CW, Paramount+, and, of course, its own HBO and HBO Max. Netflix’s wording suggests they’ll continue to allow this division to continue on as normal.
First and foremost, the studio has a vast library of older classic shows that have become invaluable during the streaming era and remain popular to this day. They’ve produced hits for various networks for the past few decades. Some of their most well-known properties include:
- Friends
- The Big Bang Theory
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- ER
- The West Wing
- Smallville
- Supernatural
- Gilmore Girls
- Two and a Half Men
- The Middle
- The Vampire Diaries
- Shameless
- 2 Broke Girls
- Full House
- Longmire
- All American
- Chuck
- Gossip Girl
- Ted Lasso
- Mrs. Davis
- The 100
- Major Hanna-Barbera staples like Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and their many spinoffs
- Iconic Warner Bros. Animation catalogs, including Looney Tunes and Animaniacs
The production company has also produced many shows for Netflix itself over the years and continues to do so to this day. These shows do not remain on Netflix forever as it currently stands, meaning that if Netflix acquires WBTV, these will become permanent mainstays in the Netflix library:
- Running Point
- Leanne
- Untamed
- The Sandman
- Sweet Tooth
- Maid
- Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings
- Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker
- Dead Boy Detectives
- Cooking on High
- Lucifer
- You
- Manifest
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
- The Kominsky Method
- Upcoming series Anna O
- Upcoming series The Aisle
- Upcoming Scooby-Doo! live-action series
Warner Bros. Pictures
Picture Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures
Where it all started – the film studio, which has a library that dates back to the early 1900s and has been the home of some of the most iconic franchises in movie history. Its catalogue reaches from early gangster pictures and noir touchstones to the epic musicals and historical dramas absorbed through the Turner library, then into the modern era of prestige dramas, global franchises, and auteur-driven spectacles. Across each decade, the studio’s output reflects the changing shape of Hollywood itself.
Estimates of exactly how many films are in the Warner Bros. library vary by source, but most settle on over 6,650 titles, including the Turner Entertainment library.
Old Classics, 1900 through 1990
- Casablanca
- The Maltese Falcon
- The Adventures of Robin Hood
- The Wizard of Oz
- Gone with the Wind
- Yankee Doodle Dandy
- A Streetcar Named Desire
- Rebel Without a Cause
- Giant
- Ben-Hur
- Bonnie and Clyde
- Cool Hand Luke
- A Clockwork Orange
- The Exorcist
- Enter the Dragon
- Dog Day Afternoon
- All the President’s Men
- The Shining
- Blade Runner
- The Goonies
Recent Classics, 1990 through 2020
- Goodfellas
- Unforgiven
- The Fugitive
- Interview with the Vampire
- Heat
- L.A. Confidential
- The Green Mile
- The Matrix
- Eyes Wide Shut
- Training Day
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
- Mystic River
- Million Dollar Baby
- The Departed
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- The Blind Side
- Inception
- Argo
- Interstellar
- Gravity
- Mad Max: Fury Road
Current Roster, 2020 through the Future
- Dune
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- The Many Saints of Newark
- King Richard
- The Matrix Resurrections
- Elvis
- Don’t Worry Darling
- Barbie
- Wonka
- Dune Part Two
- The Color Purple
- Furiosa
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Mickey 17
- Minecraft
- Alto Knights
- Wise Guys
- The Bride
- Godzilla vs Kong
- Sherlock Holmes 3
HBO
Picture Credits: HBO
For decades, HBO has been the gold standard for television. There have been incredible dramas such as The Wire, The Sopranos, True Detective, and Succession, alongside laugh-out-loud comedies such as Sex and the City, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Veep. Not to mention taking audiences on a journey of mind-blowing fantasy and sci-fi with shows such as Game of Thrones, Westworld, and His Dark Materials. All of these incredible titles, and dozens more, will be coming to Netflix in the near future.
With dozens of titles headed Netflix’s way, here’s a selection of what subscribers can expect from HBO, never before seen on Netflix:
- The Sopranos
- The Wire
- Rome
- True Blood
- Boardwalk Empire
- Game of Thrones
- Westworld
- Succession
- Sex and the City
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Veep
- Silicon Valley
- Band of Brothers
- The Pacific
- True Detective
- Chernobyl
- The Penguin
Some of the titles above may already have featured on Netflix; however, it will be the first time many of these HBO shows will be available on Netflix worldwide.
DC
Picture: DC
Beloved comic book publisher Detective Comics is responsible for creating some of the iconic superheroes in history, Batman, Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and many more.
Across its 88-year history, there have been dozens of films and television adaptations of its works, including Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, the Arrowverse, DC Animated Universe, and the DCEU/DCU.
Netflix is already in direct competition with Disney. Still, the streaming service will now have its own superhero cinematic universe, with Disney’s former Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn at the helm.
Some of the DC Films Netflix subscribers can expect are:
- Superman (1978)
- The Dark Knight (2012)
- Man of Steel (2013)
- Wonder Woman (2017)
- Batman (1989)
- Justice League (2017)
- Aquaman (2018)
- Superman (2025)
There’s also plenty of television shows Netflix subscribers can expect to:
- Flash
- Green Arrow
- Batman: The Animated Series
- Teen Titans
- Batman Beyond
- Peacemaker
- Doom Patrol
- Gotham
- Harley Quinn
- DC Legends of Tomorrow
- Justice League
Cartoon Network / Adult Swim
There are millions of people worldwide who grew up watching Cartoon Network, and many children for years to come will continue watching its wacky, fun-filled animated adventures. Cartoon Network has a vast library that goes back decades, not to mention there are plenty of beloved modern shows that fans will be delighted to see added to the library.
Not to mention, there are plenty of modern titles such as Adventure Time, Ben 10, Regular Show, Steven Universe, and We Are Bears. Dozens upon dozens of cartoons could be added to Netflix, offering children and adults alike hundreds of hours of binge-worthy content.
Before 1990:
- Tom and Jerry
- Looney Tunes
- The Flintstones
- The Yogi Bear Show
- Top Cat
- The Jetsons
- Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
- Wacky Racers
- The Addams Family
- The Smurfs
- Josie and the Pussycats
- Captain Caveman
- Catch the Pigeon
1990s:
- Dexter’s Laboratory
- Johnny Bravo
- Cow and Chicken
- The Powerpuff Girls
- Ed, Edd n Eddy
- Courage the Cowardly Dog
2000s:
- Samurai Jack
- Codename: Kids Next Door
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
- Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends
- Chowder
- Ben 10
2010s:
- Adventure Time
- Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated
- Regular Show
- The Looney Tunes Show
- Thundercats
- Steven Universe
- We Are Bears
On top of Cartoon Network, there’s also Adult Swim’s library, which is aimed at a more mature audience. Some of the most viral cartoon shows have been produced by Adult Swim, who also have an exciting library we can’t wait to see added to Netflix:
- Robot Chicken
- Rick and Morty
- The Boondocks
- Smiling Friends
- The Venture Bros
- Metalocalypse
- Final Space
- YOLO
- Royal Crackers
This article could’ve no doubt been 4-10x larger, but this gives you some idea of the playground Netflix will be acquiring in the seismic transaction. What do you hope Netflix works on and brings to the library? Let us know in the comments.
