Pictured: Orange is the New Black, Lucifer, and Ozark
2022 was the year that many realized that Netflix (and other streamers) could lose their own original titles, with Hemlock Grove being the biggest for Netflix for the year. This trend is set to continue, What’s on Netflix has learned.
Last year, a joint investigation with The Wrap and us revealed some key removal dates for licensed shows, including Breaking Bad, New Girl, and Seinfeld.
Now, we can reveal some preliminary removal dates for select Netflix Originals, but before that, some context.
Netflix Originals come in all shapes and sizes with multiple types of Netflix Original. In the cases where Originals can leave, they’re distributed by Netflix exclusively for a fixed period of time. This is because they are ultimately owned by someone else and simply exclusively leased to Netflix.
This doesn’t apply to all Netflix Originals, however. Much of Netflix’s Original library is owned by the streamer. Stranger Things, for example, will stay on Netflix in perpetuity.
The trend of Netflix removing its Originals has only been a thing over the past few years. Still, it’s set to increase dramatically to reflect expiring contracts after Netflix bought them over the past decade.
In 2022, 38 Netflix Original titles were removed from Netflix US. Removals included the likes of Hemlock Grove, The Frankenstein Chronicles, Marvel’s Daredevil, Soundtrack, and more.
Netflix Original removals between 2017-2022
Now it’s worth noting that just because a title is due to expire from Netflix doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.
Last year, Lilyhammer, one of Netflix’s first-ever Netflix Originals, was due to leave the service, but a last-minute deal means it’s staying on the service for several more years.
Likewise, we’re not going to include any currently ongoing shows, as their removal dates will naturally get pushed forward after new seasons drop. That includes the likes of The Umbrella Academy (Universal Television), The Sandman (Warner Bros. Television), and The Crown (Sony Pictures Television).
Netflix declined to provide comment for this report.
So when could major Netflix Originals leave, and which ones are in the firing line?
Arrested Development
Netflix Removal Date: March 15th, 2023
Owner: 20th Century Studios Television / Disney
Arrested Development – Picture: Netflix
Arrested Development is the first major Netflix Original on this list that could leave in months. This 20th Television show originally aired on Fox and was revived by Netflix for an additional two seasons.
Its removal date coincides exactly four years after the fifth and final season was added to Netflix.
Disney ultimately owns this show and has pulled it from multiple Netflix regions.
Orange is the New Black
Netflix Removal Date: July 26th, 2029
Owner: Lionsgate Television
Orange is the New Black – Picture: Netflix
One of Netflix’s longest-running shows and a huge big hitter for Netflix’s early efforts was Orange is the New Black which ultimately ran for seven seasons.
The series recently launched on DVD, meaning that if the show eventually goes unsold if Netflix fails to re-up, there’ll be plenty of physical copies out in the wild to pick up.
House of Cards
Potential Netflix Removal Date: November 2nd, 2033
Owner: Media Rights Capital (MRC)
House of Cards – Picture: Netflix
One of Netflix’s first landmark titles (albeit that the show tailed off towards the end resulting in a lawsuit) was the first major big swing for Netflix into producing and releasing exclusive titles. House of Cards was the Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright drama that Media Rights Capital ultimately owns. There’s a long window for this to continue on Netflix, with its removal coinciding 15 years following the final season’s release.
This will be an interesting case study, given that the show is painted badly due to the ongoing controversy surrounding its lead actor.
13 Reasons Why
Potential Removal Date: June 5th, 2030
Owner: Paramount Global
13 Reasons Why – Picture: Netflix
13 Reasons Why was one of the very first Netflix Originals to go quote-on-quote “viral,” which led it to become one of Netflix’s biggest shows, and season 2 was still in the top 10 of all time as last year with 496.1 million hours viewed globally in the first 28 days.
As a big teen hitter for Netflix – will Paramount want back for their own service, or will they want to renew? That’s the big question here.
It’s removal date coincides with the 10th anniversary of the final season hitting Netflix.
Ozark
Potential Netflix Removal Date: January 21st, 2032
Owner: Media Rights Capital (MRC)
Ozark – Picture: Netflix
Another MRC series but in this instance, Netflix only retains the rights for at least 10 years rather than the 15 for House of Cards.
Ozark requires no introduction as it’s one of Netflix’s most decorated shows regarding awards and it would be a massive loss should the show not be renewed. Its removal coincides exactly 10 years following the release of Ozark season 4 – part 2.
Narcos & Narcos: Mexico
Potential Netflix Removal: November 5th, 2031
Owner: Gaumont International Television
Picture: Gaumont Television
Notably the owner of Hemlock Grove, too, will Gaumont Television ultimately take back control of the excellent Narcos series in the early 2030s – will they opt to renew this where they didn’t with Hemlock? That’s the big question.
Interestingly, the fate of Narcos and its sister show, Narcos: Mexico, both expire together and coincide exactly ten years following the final season of Narcos: Mexico.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Potential Netflix Removal Date: August 5th, 2035
Owner: NBC Universal
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Picture: Netflix
A rare and early comedy success on Netflix that has been widely publicized how it made its way over to Netflix, having been skipped by NBC. The Tina Fey-produced series starred Ellie Kemper, who traveled to New York City having been imprisoned for most of her life.
The removal takes place 15 years following the release of the interactive special that dropped in 2020 (although not to the exact day like some other titles listed in this article).
Lucifer
Potential Netflix Removal Date: September 10th, 2031
Owner: Warner Bros. Television
Picture: Netflix
Another revival at Netflix that, again, originally aired on Fox. Lucifer has been one of Netflix’s biggest and most successful revivals in history, releasing three seasons under the Netflix Original banner (including a season that wasn’t originally supposed to happen).
Once again, the removal coincides exactly ten years following the release of season 6 on Netflix, which came on September 10th, 2021.
Purple Hearts
Potential Netflix Removal Date: July 29th, 2052
Owner: Alloy Entertainment
Purple Hearts. (L to R) Sofia Carson as Cassie, Nicholas Galitzine as Luke in Purple Hearts. Cr. Hopper Stone/Netflix © 2022.
When looking for movies to put on this list, we went through the entire top 10 most popular movies of all time. For the most part, Netflix has the rights locked up forever for most titles, with Purple Hearts being a main exception, but even then, they’ve got the rights for quite some time with Netflix picking up the rights for 30 years.
In fact, when the rights come up for Purple Hearts, I’ll be approaching the grand old age of 60.
We’ll be posting more about these removals in the future and as always, you can keep up to speed on all Netflix Original removals and licensed removals via our leaving soon section.
Rating: TV-PG
