Netflix regularly loses licensed content from third-party providers but did you know it’s lost a bunch of Netflix Original branded content too? Here’s the current list of every Netflix Original movie and series that has departed Netflix thus far.
To get to the bottom of why Netflix Original titles leave, they usually fall into one of several categories.
- The majority leave because they are not owned by Netflix. Instead, they’re distributed internationally exclusively by Netflix for a fixed period of time.
- Secondly, it could be temporary or permanent licensing problems. For example, Beat Bugs left due to licensing problems for a short period of time whereas Slasher has been removed because the owner of the series went bankrupt.
- Thirdly, some titles that are time-specific. These include New Year’s Countdowns for example.
- Finally, you may find Netflix Originals are removed from some regions due to laws or takedown requests. We’ll cover those at the end.
Netflix Originals Removed from Netflix due to Licensing
Now let’s take you through the list of Netflix Originals that have been removed (we may have missed a few but we will be updating this over time).
- The Killing (Seasons 1-4) – Removed August 2018 – Despite reviving the series, Fox opted to put the show’s first three seasons on Hulu.
- River (Season 1) – Removed October 2019 – Only international distributor for the BBC series.
- Estocolmo (Season 1) – Removed November 2019 – Argentinian series that Netflix carried internationally.
- Happy Valley (Seasons 1-2) – Removed March 2020 – Another BBC series Netflix only distributed for a limited time internationally.
- Chewing Gum (Seasons 1-2) – Removed April 2020 – Netflix only served as the international distributor and lost the rights after a fixed period.
- Slasher (Seasons 1-3) – Removed April 2020 – Removed due to Kew Media Group going bankrupt. Did eventually return, however but future season is heading to Shudder.
- Case (Season 1) – Removed May 2020 – Chilean series Netflix carried internationally.
- Cannabis – French TV Series – Removed June 2020
- Hotel Beau Séjour – Removed June 2020
- NSU German History X (Limited Series) – Removed July 2020
- Russell Peters: Notorious – Removed October 2020
- Russell Peters vs. The World – Removed October 2020
- Nobel – Norwegian – Removed November 2020
- Four Seasons in Havana – Removed December 2020
- Merlí – Catalan – Removed December 2020
- Pacific Heat (Season 1) – Removed December 2020
- Blockbuster – French – Removed January 2021
- Knights of Sidonia – Japanese – Removed January 2021 – has been removed multiple times in the past.
- The 4th Company (2016) – Removed April 2021
- The Little Prince – Removed May 2021
- LEGO Friends: The Power of Friendship (2016) – Removed June 2021
- LEGO: Friends: Happy Birthday to You! (2017) – Removed June 2021
- Chadwick Boseman: Portrait of an Artist – Removed June 2021 after debuting in April 2021
- Cooking on High – Removed June 2021
- Heavy Rescue: 401 – Removed June 2021
- Magi: Adventure of Sinbad – Scheduled to be removed in July 2021
We’re told this list will continue to grow exponentially over time as Netflix doesn’t necessarily hold the distribution rights for a lot of its library.
Netflix Originals Removed due to government takedowns
The most famous example of Netflix getting ordered to remove content is with Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. An episode critical of the regime in the country was ordered to be pulled back in January 2019.
The following titles were removed from Netflix Singapore and has been removed from several other regions too.
- The Last Hangover
- The Temptation of Christ
- Cooking on High
- Disjointed
That’s the current list. We’ll keep expanding this over time as and when other Netflix Originals depart from the service.