Why do they remove all the good shows?

By Olivia Finlayson

On the 30th of December Netflix is going to be removing the popular show FRIENDS from their UK platform. Why are they doing this?

The show has brought a lot of revenue to the streaming service as its one of the most watched sit coms worldwide. When I say this, I mean that everyone you know has either seen an episode or clips of it.

This has happened a lot in the last few years; removing a much-loved show because of either deals ending or to make more room for new shows. For example, they are also removing “The Big Bang Theory”, “The Goonies”, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” and many more beloved TV shows and films. But why “FRIENDS”?

There has been a massive debate all over social media as to whether this is a good choice for the company to make. Many fans of the show are upset at this news flooding their screens. Some are even saying they’re going to cancel their subscriptions because of this.

It turns out that the reason behind the decision to remove FRIENDS is due to the expiring licensing agreement with the show’s rights holder, Warner Bros. However, it will be added to HBO Max in the UK which is launching in early 2026 so we’ll still be able to watch it. Theres no guarantee it’ll be free though.

Netflix have been losing more customers over the last few years than ever before because they don’t have a good enough selection of films for the price that they pay. I’ve known friends who have cancelled it because they removed one show which shows that they already don’t have a good enough variety of content.

They have said that this isn’t an attack on the series but a well thought out business decision made to “optimize resources” and “expand the reach of HBO Max”.

I personally am distraught by it but I’ve watched it multiple times, not too upset that I won’t be able to watch it for a while.

Overall, this is an unfortunate decision made that has affected people all over the UK with this show being of comfort to many, for example having it on in the background in daily life. This is the case with all the other movies and TV shows in which they are ending the contracts with producers.

After all this, will they have anything good left?

Friends is Leaving Netflix, Why?