The Mysterious Benedict Society
The streaming party is coming to an end and the streaming hangover is only just beginning. It’s going to be . . . painful.
We’ve seen the early stages of this hangover in action. The Time Warner Discovery merger led to the canning of the completed Batgirl film, which will never see the light of day despite being totally finished. Shows like Westworld and Raised By Wolves were not just cancelled, but removed from HBO Max (now just Max) entirely, despite being major critical darlings.
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The long parade of cancelled Netflix shows is yet another example of the streaming heyday coming to an end. Netflix might have kept those big-budget shows going a few years ago. Now it’s opting for more and more reality and junk TV, which is cheaper and appeals to the lowest common denominator.
Disney, which is currently in the midst of a $5.5 billion cost-cutting plan, is reeling from streaming losses. The company is laying off 4,000 workers in its second round of layoffs, and shutting down the expensive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Adventure hotel in Orlando. When ex-CEO Bob Iger returned to replace Bob Chapek in the top job, his mission was clear: It’s time to stop the bleeding.
And there is blood everywhere thanks to big spending in streaming combined with the loss in box office revenue during the pandemic, not to mention the death of the lucrative DVD market. Time Warner Discovery, Paramount and just about every other streamer and studio out there is feeling the pinch.
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In anticipation of the big Disney+ / Hulu merger, Disney has decided to cull a number of shows and movies from these two services. This includes the recently released Willow sequel series (which, as I’ve pointed out, was rather terrible) as well as shows I’ve had on my to-watch list, like the charming-looking Mysterious Benedict Society. I have no idea how I’ll watch that now unless I binge the entire thing before Friday, May 26th which doesn’t seem likely! And if I ever wanted to get around to the Mighty Ducks show, well, tough luck I guess.
Perhaps this is all a not-so-gentle reminder that streaming, however convenient, does have its downsides. It was always going to come to this. A wild party of excess and debauchery has its consequences.
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Of course, it’s possible that these titles will return at some point or that Disney will change its mind in the 11th hour and reverse course on some of these, but as it stands right now here is everything leaving Disney+ and Hulu this Friday. These are not scheduled to return and there is no indication that they will show up anywhere else, though it’s certainly possible.
Everything Leaving Hulu and Disney+
- 9/11: One Day in America
- America the Beautiful
- Among the Stars
- Artemis Fowl
- Be Our Chef
- Best in Dough
- Best in Snow
- Better Nate Than Ever
- Big Shot
- Bin Laden’s Hard Drive
- Black Beauty
- Buried Secrets of WWII
- Cheaper by the Dozen remake
- Clouds
- Croc That Ate Jaws
- Darby and the Dead
- Diary of a Future President
- Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
- Dollface
- Drug Lords: The Next Generation
- Earth to Ned
- Encore!
- Everything’s Trash
- Extreme Rescues
- Flora & Ulysses
- Foodtastic
- Harmonious Live!
- Hollywood Stargirl
- It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer
- Just Beyond
- Keep This Between Us
- Life Below Zero: Next Generation
- Little Demon
- Locked Up Abroad
- Love in the Time of Corona
- Maggie
- Magic Camp
- Marvel’s Project Hero
- More Than Robots
- Most Wanted Sharks
- National Geographic Investigates: LSD and Psychedelics
- North Korea: Inside the Mind of a Dictator
- Own the Room
- Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays
- Pick the Litter
- Pistol
- Rogue Trip
- Rosaline
- Shop Class
- Stargirl
- Stuntman
- The Armstrong Tapes
- The Big Fib
- The Come Up
- The Deep End
- The Hot Zone
- The Making Of Willow
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- The One and Only Ivan
- The Premise
- The Princess
- The Quest
- The Real Right Stuff
- The Right Stuff
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum
- Timmy Failure
- To Catch A Smuggler Rome
- Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller
- Turner & Hooch
- Ultimate Survival WWII
- Weird But True!
- Willow
- Wolfgang
- Y: The Last Man
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What shows are you bummed out about losing? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/05/24/disney-and-hulu-are-about-to-lose-dozens-of-shows-and-movies—heres-the-full-list/