When “Hemlock Grove” was launched on Netflix in 2013, the streaming service didn’t even exist in Germany. The horror series was one of the streaming giant’s very first so-called originals, shortly after House Of Cards, and also earned Netflix its first-ever Emmy nomination in history. Now the series will still disappear from Netflix…
On October 23, 2022, Hemlock Grove will be removed from Netflix. If you don’t know the series about a vampire and a werewolf who have to solve a murder in order to prove their own innocence, produced by Eli Roth and others, or have never finished watching it, then next week is your last chance to stream on Netflix. It is currently still unknown whether the title, which features a top-class cast including Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgård and Dougray Scott, will end up with another provider in the future or disappear entirely from the streaming obscurity.
After all, “Hemlock Grove” is one of the few Netflix Originals that was released completely on DVD & Blu-ray and at least doesn’t disappear completely from the scene:
» “Hemlock Grove” on Amazon on DVD & Blu-ray: season 1* / season 2* / season 3*
But why is “Hemlock Grove” removed from Netflix at all, when it is a so-called Netflix original, i.e. a supposed in-house production of the broadcaster?
Even if titles like “Hemlock Grove” are advertised by Netflix as so-called originals, the streaming service has often had them implemented and developed by other companies specializing in the actual production or often bought their finished ideas. However, the license agreements with the production companies often only give Netflix the rights to exclusively show these titles for a certain period of time. This time has now expired at “Hemlock Grove” and one obviously could not or did not want to agree on an extension of the contract.
Incidentally, this is far from the first series in which this happens. The most prominent case are the Marvel series like “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones”, which one day disappeared from Netflix and are now running on Disney+.
Theoretically, by the way, this fate can hit any streaming title – and not just because the license agreement with a company behind it may expire. For example, Netflix could one day decide for itself and of its own free will that a series like “Stranger Things“ or no longer wants to offer a film like “Red Notice” because, for example, royalties would be incurred for further use, which one would rather save.
It is the big dark side of the so-called “golden streaming age”. As great as it is to know that not just hundreds, but thousands of tracks are just a button press away on the remote control, there will always be uncertainty as to whether your favorite title will still be there tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in two years’ time.
Incidentally, this does not only apply to titles in the subscription offers from Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Co. Even if you have “bought” a film or a series episode from Amazon Prime Video, iTunes or another provider, this content can be returned there disappear and can no longer be accessed. If the provider’s license to keep the title in stock has expired, Amazon and Co. have to remove it, regardless of whether users* bought it or not.
*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will receive a commission.
