Dawson’s Creek – Picture: Sony Pictures Television
After 18 months of being on Netflix, Dawson’s Creek is soon set to be leaving Netflix in the US (and likely other regions) on May 1st, 2022 with your last day to watch being April 30th, 2022.
Originally airing on The WB between 1998 to 2003, the series has become one of the most beloved classic shows and comfort shows. In the age of streaming, shows like Dawson’s Creek have seen their value balloon.
Netflix acquired the global streaming rights to Dawson’s Creek in late 2020 with it arriving on Netflix US on November 1st, 2020. It also arrived on other Netflix regions such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia on the same date. Some regions had to wait until 2021 to receive seasons 1 through 8, however.
Now, 18 months after it was licensed to Netflix US it’s now been announced to be leaving on May 1st, 2022.
It’s worth noting that Dawson’s Creek didn’t feature in the Netflix US top 10 at all but did make brief appearances on Netflix Australia, Ireland, Italy, Canada and New Zealand. This is more than likely because Netflix’s top 10s only take into consideration viewing per season as opposed to the whole show.
Is Dawson’s Creek leaving Netflix globally?
It’s likely although we’ll likely have to wait a few weeks to find out whether it’s just Netflix in the United States losing the show or whether it’s global.
Why is Dawson’s Creek leaving Netflix?
It simply comes down to how Netflix licenses much of its content. In this instance, Netflix doesn’t own Dawson’s Creek and in this instance, only licensed the title for a fixed amount of time and now that license is coming up.
When a license expires, it’s down to both Netflix and in this case Sony to come to a new arrangement. As mentioned, classic TV shows are rare to come by for Netflix with most either returning to their streaming homes or sold for a premium (see Seinfeld).
Where will Dawson’s Creek stream next?
In the US, the show is expected to continue streaming on Hulu and HBO Max for the time being. Given it’s a Sony show, it’ll only be if those platforms decide to keep renewing the license.
Internationally, its availability is a lot spottier. In the UK for instance, IMDb TV has access to 3 seasons but beyond that, you’re locked to VOD options which can be pricey.
For more on what’s leaving Netflix, keep it locked right here on What’s on Netflix. Let us know in the comments if you’ll miss Dawson’s Creek once it departs.