It was “Friends” first, now it’s “The Office.”
This year in the United States, “Friends” was taken off Netflix. Once Netflix announced this on Twitter, there were many negative reactions. It is known that this move wasn’t Netflix’s fault.
Despite the wide popularity of “Friends” and the uproar from it leaving, there was nothing Netflix could do. This is also the case for “The Office.”
These two shows are the ones we associate with binge-watching on Netflix.
When it was announced that “The Office” was leaving Netflix the reaction was very similar to the reaction with “Friends”. But that reaction is immature and should not be done in the first place.
I understand the reason why people are upset that their favorite show is leaving the service. However, as stated before, it’s not Netflix’s fault that the show is leaving. According to Time’s article “Friends won’t be there for you on Netflix starting in 2020,” these shows are lost in bidding wars with bigger productions. Friends was lost because of the $85 million deal per year for five years for the show with WarnerMedia.
Netflix made an effort keeping the show, spending upwards of $80 to $100 million to keep the series in 2019, losing it in 2020. This cause may be the reason we are losing other loved shows on Netflix. People need to understand that.
Many of the reactions on Twitter blame the streaming service for these shows left. Some even say that they will no longer have accounts when “The Office” leaves.
That is also an immature outlook on this situation. There are countless movies and shows on the streaming service and paying at least $8.99 a month for one or two shows that you’ve seen over and over is a waste of money. There are plenty of other things to spend that money on.
Start another show or watch another movie. If “Friends” and “The Office” are the only shows you watch on Netflix, you’re missing out on countless hours of great shows and movies to watch.
Even if you end your subscription to the streaming service, one canceled subscription won’t affect this highly successful company.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter@HindbergNicole