Netflix has revived or picked up the baton on dozens of TV shows over the years, and below, we’ll walk you through the full list of every major Netflix revival or continuation so far.
What exactly is a revival or continuation and what’s the difference between that and a co-production? With co-productions, Netflix teams up with another distributor to carry a show. Typically, the show airs first in the origin country before heading to Netflix as a Netflix Original.
A revival or continuation is where a show follows the formula above, but the original distributor pulls out for whatever reason. Or, it could be that Netflix didn’t carry the show internationally but, after cancelation, saw potential and picked it up anyway.
We’re also not counting reboots here, either. That means the likes of Fuller House, The Teletubbies or
List of Netflix Revivals and Continuations
We’ll walk you through some of the biggest revivals and continuations before diving into a bigger list with some other pickups.
Trailer Park Boys
Original Network: Showcase (Canada)
Seasons at Netflix: 8-12
Picture: Netflix
The first-ever continuation came with Trailer Park Boys, which has so far seen 4 additional seasons, an animated spin-off, and countless specials arrive on Netflix.
Before Netflix took over the reins, it was available on Showcase in Canada before going completely independent on SwearNet.com, where a lot of other content from the team still lands.
Black Mirror
Original Network: Channel 4
Seasons at Netflix: 3-6 Ongoing
Black Mirror – Picture: Netflix
Beginning its life on Channel 4 for two seasons, Netflix eventually picked up the rights to the show and saw something it thought would be perfect for its own streamer.
This was more of a “than a revival, as reporting suggests that Channel 4 wanted to continue producing the show.
Three seasons have been produced under Netflix alongside an interactive special called Bandersnatch.
Until mid-2022, Black Mirror’s future was very much up in the air given ongoing disputes for the rights, Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, but since then, we’ve now confirmed season 6 will be headed to Netflix.
Lovesick (fka Scrotal Recall)
Original Network: Channel 4
Seasons at Netflix: 2-3 Ended
Picture: Clerkenwell Films
Airing on Channel 4 as Scrotal Recall, Netflix would later pick up the global distribution to season 1 and with Channel 4 looking like they wouldn’t pick up the show for future seasons, Netflix acquired the show. It produced an additional two seasons for a total of 16 additional episodes.
Inside The World’s Toughest Prisons
Original Network: Channel 5 (United Kingdom)
Seasons at Netflix: Seasons 2-6 Ongoing
This British docu-series was originally airing on Channel 5 but was picked up by Netflix and replaced the host with Raphael Rowe starting in mid-2018, with the most recent season, season 6, dropping in September 2022.
The Last Kingdom
Original Network: BBC Two
Seasons at Netflix: 3-5 + Movie Ended
Picture: BBC / Netflix
The historical drama series based on Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories suffered from smaller budgets in its first two seasons. Still, thankfully, Netflix saw the potential, revived the show, and gave it a fresh coat of paint along with a bigger budget.
The show concluded with its fifth season in early 2022 but has been given a movie to conclude the story.
Designated Survivor
Original Network: ABC
Seasons at Netflix: Season 3 Ended
Picture: ABC / Entertainment One
Running for two seasons at ABC, the Kiefer Sutherland political thriller series was a fan-favorite but was sadly killed by the network following season 2, airing between 2017 and 2018.
Netflix revived the series for a 10-episode season (notably smaller than the 20+ episode seasons that came beforehand) that would act as its last.
Sadly, although more story was set up, we would never go on to see season 4 of Designated Survivor with schedule conflicts and other factors at play.
Money Heist (La Casa de Papel)
Original Network: Antenna 3
Seasons at Netflix: Parts 3-5 Ended
What is the best international revival Netflix has ever made? We’d argue Money Heist.
First airing on Antenna 3 in Spain, the series looked with a ballooning budget to potentially face the axe.
Netflix picked up Money Heist following the first two parts performing well all around the globe, and went on to run for an additional three parts and spawned a spin-off.
Top Boy
Original Network: Channel 4
Seasons at Netflix: 3-5 Ended
The critically acclaimed British drama series Top Boy scored a revival at Netflix and scored an additional three seasons at Netflix. Interestingly with this release, Netflix didn’t score the underlying rights to the prior seasons and, as such, labels Top Boy and Top Boy: Summerhouse seperately.
As you may have heard, the revival was in part thanks to a word or two from superstar rapper Drake.
You
Original Network: Lifetime
Seasons at Netflix: 2-4 Ended
Picture: Warner Bros. Television
Airing on Lifetime (which has since gotten out of the scripted space), You looked dead until Netflix stepped in, revived the show, and sent it into the stratosphere.
It’s another title that Warner Brothers Television produces and is lined up for its fourth season, set to be released in two parts in 2023.
Lucifer
Original Network: Fox (USA)
Seasons at Netflix: 4 to 6 Ended
Picture: Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Perhaps the biggest revival thus far in Netflix’s history.
Lucifer was a Fox series that ran for 3 seasons before having the rugged pulled. Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers Television, they shopped it around, and given Netflix already carried the show in most international territories, they had the data to know it was worth continuing.
Since Netflix’s revival, it was given two seasons before being announced that it was ending. However, that decision was reversed giving it a sixth season.
The revival excluded Germany and Austria regions, where the show remains on Prime Video.
Unsolved Mysteries
Original Network: NBC, CBS, Lifetime, Spike
Seasons at Netflix: 15-16 ongoing
Picture: Netflix
The docuseries Unsolved Mysteries has been on our screens since the late 1980s and ran for nearly 600 episodes in total at the time of publishing in October 2022.
Having been around for multiple decades, this was the first time new episodes were produced in the franchise exclusively for Netflix starting in 2020.
Cobra Kai
Original Network: YouTube Red
Seasons at Netflix: 3-5 ongoing
Picture: Sony Television
Based on The Karate Kid movies, Cobra Kai is a series that began its life on YouTube Red for two seasons. Before discontinuing its original productions, Netflix announced it had picked up the series for future seasons.
We’re told that this is one of the biggest no-brainer acquisitions and revivals in Netflix history and has gone on to produce and addition three seasons, with more potentially on the way.
Power Rangers
Original Network: Fox Kids, ABC Kids, Nickelodeon
Seasons at Netflix: 1 fully under Netflix
Netflix has carried Power Rangers in some form or another for a number of years but it wasn’t until season 29 (or Dino Fury) that the series became a full Netflix Original title taking away the distribution rights away from Nickelodeon.
Important to note this title only applies to Netflix US.
Manifest
Original Network: NBC
Seasons at Netflix: 4 ended
Manifest Season 4
Airing on NBC for three seasons, the writing looked on the wall for the show that it would not be getting a fourth season. After a surprise license to Netflix in the summer of 2021, the show defied the odds and scored a supersized final season at Netflix.
Girls5eva
Original Network: Peacock
Seasons at Netflix: 3 ongoing
Picture: NBCUniversal
Created and starring Meredith Scardino, Girls5eva was picked up by Netflix from the struggling streamer Peacock in October 2022.
The series sees a girl band reunite years later after a young rapper sampled their music and seemingly reignited their musical careers.
Other Netflix Original Revivals
- Blown Away, the glass-blowing competition reality series, started its life at Makeful before becoming a full Netflix Original for two seasons.
- Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, the Crackle series featuring Jerry Seinfeld, was picked up for an additional two seasons by Netflix from 2018 through 2020.
- El Marginal (Argentinian series picked up from TV Pública for seasons 4 and 5)
- Hip-Hop Evolution (Docu-series picked up from HBO Canada for seasons 2 to 4)
- Meateater originally ran on the Sportsman Channel and has had three seasons released under Netflix.
- QB1: Beyond the Lights (docu-series that aired on the defunct go90) was renewed for a third season at Netflix but has since left the service entirely.
- Slasher was picked up for a third season exclusively at Netflix but has since moved to Shudder.
- Takki (Arabic drama picked up from YouTube for season 3)
- The A List was a BBC production that Netflix had the international rights to. It then picked up a second season exclusively.
- The Mire, a Polish thriller series Netflix has picked up for two seasons from Showmax.
- Tiger & Bunny (Anime series picked up by Netflix for season 2 onwards)
Rating: TV-MA
