Pictures: The CW
As The CW’s Beauty and the Beast prepares to depart Netflix September 19th, it seems prudent to take stock of the remaining CW series on Netflix and estimate when they will be removed. Here’s a breakdown of when we’re expecting all The CW shows on Netflix US to depart.
Netflix and The CW first struck an output deal in 2011 which meant each new show aired during the TV season would see its episodes added to Netflix shortly after the season finale aired. This provided Netflix with a lot of popular content but the CW benefitted as well. Through the lifetime of this deal many CW series gained new notoriety and saw spikes in their viewership the following TV season. Riverdale is one of the series that benefitted the most from this “Netflix bump.”
The deal was renewed again in 2016.
In 2019, The CW and Netflix chose not to renew the output deal. WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS (co-owners of the CW) planned to hold their new series back for use on their new streaming services: Paramount+ or HBO Max. Despite this, ViacomCBS relinquished their opportunity to stream their CBS-produced CW series, instead licensing them all to HBO Max alongside the WarnerMedia-produced shows. The official word was it “made sense to keep them in one spot” but in reality Bob Bakish’s ViacomCBS just couldn’t say “no” to a payday. This new setup began with the Fall 2019 slate of series which is why Nancy Drew and Kung Fu being on HBO Max instead of Netflix.
What about the series still on Netflix from the previous deal?
The licensing terms required each show to remain exclusively on Netflix for a whopping 5 years after Netflix obtains the final season.
As a result, there are still a significant of CW series streaming on Netflix waiting for the clock to countdown. In some cases, the series continue to get renewed for new seasons each year and so the 5-year countdown hasn’t even begun!
Let’s take the guesswork out of this and share the list along with their estimated removal date. Please note that this remains speculation and removal dates are subject to contracts and to change. This list only applies to the United States of America and other regions will vary.
The CW Shows Concluded
Next year will most likely see a huge loss for Netflix when The Vampire Diaries leaves in March for HBO Max.
Later in the year, Reign will leave. 2023 will be the exit for Crazy-Ex Girlfriend and The Originals. iZombie and Jane the Virgin will depart in 2024. Arrow, The 100, and Supernatural will leave in 2025. Black Lightning and Supergirl leave in 2026. Beyond that, nobody knows!
| Title | Date Final Season Added | Estimated Removal Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Vampire Diaries | March 8, 2017 | March 8, 2022 |
| Reign | September 5, 2017 | September 5, 2022 |
| Life Sentence | June 23, 2018 | June 23, 2023 |
| The Originals | August 9, 2018 | August 9, 2023 |
| Crazy Ex Girlfriend | April 13, 2019 | April 13, 2024 |
| Jane the Virgin | August 8, 2019 | August 8, 2024 |
| iZombie | August 10, 2019 | August 10, 2024 |
| Arrow | February 5, 2020 | February 5, 2025 |
| The 100 | October 8, 2020 | October 8, 2025 |
| Supernatural | November 27, 2020 | November 27, 2025 |
| Black Lightning | June 16, 2021 | June 16, 2026 |
| Supergirl | 2021 TBD | 2026 TBD |
Ongoing The CW Shows Still Coming to Netflix
Shows below are The CW shows still coming to Netflix on an annual basis. Therefore, we can’t yet predict when they’re due to depart.
| Title | Status |
|---|---|
| All American | Renewed for Season 4 |
| Charmed (2018) | Renewed for Season 4 |
| Dynasty | Renewed for Season 5 |
| The Flash | Renewed for Season 8 |
| In the Dark | Renewed for Season 4 |
| Legacies | Renewed for Season 4 |
| Legends of Tomorrow | Renewed for Season 7 |
| Riverdale | Renewed for Season 6 |
| Roswell. New Mexico | Renewed for Season 4 |
What about Gilmore Girls?
Gilmore Girls is a mystery and an outlier. It doesn’t follow the same contract pattern as the other series because it’s been streaming for 6 years as of October 1st. In 2016 Netflix released a limited series revival: Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Warner Brothers produced and distributed this which means the day should come when Netflix says goodbye to both the original series and their own Netflix Original revival. This November marks 5 years since the revival premiered and I wouldn’t be shocked if the revival leaves at that time. I wouldn’t be shocked the whole franchise leaves this fall.
Drew Ryan is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of DejaViewstream. He has degrees in English and Library & Information Science from Lawrence University, Concordia University-Wisconsin, and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Interested in the minutia and licensing of streaming service content, he is always publishing lists, suggestions, and advocating for Disney’s missing library to be added to Disney+. You can find him waxing nostalgic over classic Disney Channel or geeking out over Marvel, CW shows, Netflix, & Disney @Deja__Drew.