My thoughts grew muddled as my friend lamented that the well-known series “Friends” would soon leave Netflix. 

On one hand, I am glad I will never receive another text saying, “I’ll call you back later, I’m watching ‘Friends’ right now.” But on the other hand, I am disappointed that I won’t get to watch the series that my friend preferred over my company.

“When you turn on the TV or boot up a streaming service, do you look for something new to watch or venture back to an old favorite? Turns out, if you revisit shows more often than not, you’re part of a large majority of Americans who have a ‘comfort show’ they watch during difficult or stressful times,” an article by Cable TV presents.

Due to comfort shows and fan favorites incessantly being canceled and removed from Netflix, there is a recurring question at hand: What’s causing these cancellations and removals?  

Specific to “Friends,” Netflix lost in a bidding war and “Friends” was picked up by HBO Max.

An article by The Los Angeles Times explains how fans reacted to the sudden removal of Friends. It states, “Still, the social media air has been thick with annoyance and (cheeky) panic from die-hards in recent weeks. Some have expressed their disappointment by threatening to cancel their Netflix subscriptions. Others have simply relayed their sorrow in humorous statements about the loss. There are those who’ve declared one last marathon before it’s gone, and others relieved to have been gifted DVDs of the show over the holidays.”

“The Office,” another beloved comfort show, was abruptly removed from Netflix, causing upheaval among its viewers. Similarly to “Friends,” the rights of “The Office” were taken by NBC-TV to stream on its streaming service, Peacock. 

Many more series and movies have been removed from Netflix due to licensing agreements such as “Parks and Recreation,” “Glee” and Perks of Being a Wallflower.

With beloved shows being removed from Netflix, fans are enraged that Netflix originals repeatedly get canceled.

An article by Screen Rant reveals that fans were reluctant to the cancellation of the series, “The Society.” In response, they created a Change.org petition in an attempt to renew it. Expected to comply with the viewers, Netflix was unable to renew the series due to the halt of COVID-19. Because of the health and safety protocols, production became too expensive.

Though the reasons for some cancellations are unknown, many series are discontinued because of production costs and low viewership. This theme has affected many series including “Anne with an E,” “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “I Am Not Okay with This.”

“Patience is a virtue” is a quote that helps me cope when the show I’m watching is canceled, leaving a cliffhanger. For me, it is important to note that the next time my favorite TV series or movie is canceled/removed from Netflix, it most likely isn’t for no reason. 

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