It seems that this spring, Netflix decided to do a bit of spring cleaning of their own. To some people, Netflix’s changes are met with open arms, but as classic shows and movies leave, my arms will remain crossed.
As Netflix works to make a good portion of their content original in the coming years, many shows and movies have been coming and going each month. And let me tell you, it’s not cool.
It seems that every month we lose classic TV shows and movies that we know and love off of a service that we have grown to depend on. It was all fun and games when Netflix decided to bring Cinderella Story to its streaming service, but now they are taking things I love from me. I had just gotten into Season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when poof, it was gone. All I got was an error message, which said that the show no longer existed, and I was forced to actually start my homework.
Imagine this, you get knee deep — seasons deep — into a show and all of a sudden it is ripped away from you. You have to frantically and desperately search all over for it. You call and text your friends, asking for their passwords to other streaming services that you heard your coveted show MIGHT be on.
April was a sad month for lost shows. Of the big ones, we lost the first four seasons of Bones, all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all of Buffy spin-off Angel, The Princess Bride and all of Firefly. So if you are a Joss Whedon fan, April was especially hard to deal with.
Okay, I haven’t seen every series and movie leaving, but I can pay homage to ones I know best: Buffy and Firefly.
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Girl power. Those are two words that best describe what Buffy is all about. The alternative coming of age show centers around a teenage girl, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Prinze), whose destiny is to live in Sunnydale, California and fight vampires and demons as The Slayer. Over its seven seasons, you follow her and friends as they go to high school, then college. Known as the Scooby Gang, a beautiful homage to my all-time favorite cartoon, Buffy and her friends fight the bad and evil in the world, as well as the evil within themselves. As wacky as the show can be at times, it is rich in character development and episodes tackle real-world societal issues that you didn’t see in many other shows at the time. Whedon does an amazing job in this cult classic, which balances humor and critical analysis. Overall, this show is a must-watch for anyone, especially if you think girls run the world.
2. Firefly
Another Joss Whedon classic, Firefly is easily one of the silliest shows I have ever watched — but also one of the best. Unfortunately, it was cut off after just one season, leaving fans like me without any real closure (unless you count their sad excuse of a movie Serenity). So, if you were looking for a quick show to binge on in a matter of days, you have missed your chance now that it is off Netflix. The show centered on a group of societal outsiders who fought on the losing side of an inter-galactic civil war and live in a beat up spaceship called Serenity. They travel to different worlds to complete missions, collect money and pick up newcomers along the way. Firefly does a great job of mixing many different genres of TV together. You get a fantastical western space drama that is filled with comedic elements. Firefly, you will be missed.
For a complete list of programs leaving or already having left Netflix in April, click here.