Netflix is always there, and Netflix’s original content will always be there, right? Events like Studio Canal’s disappearance from Sony’s PSN store and Daredevil’s daring leap from Netflix to Disney+ are reminders that that’s not true. Mike Flanagan, who created films like Hush and Gerald’s Game and the series Midnight Mass for Netflix, is asking the streaming giant to give his work physical releases so that they don’t disappear from existence should Netflix decide to remove them.
Just one example why physical media is so important (and why I’ll continue to plead with @netflix to release HUSH, GERALD’S GAME and MIDNIGHT MASS) https://t.co/mkOS2l3mKN
— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) July 7, 2022
Shows and movies disappear from streaming services all the time. For popular series like Friends and The Office, that’s not such a concern since they’re seemingly eternally available on store shelves in DVD and Blu-ray form. But the number of streaming series is growing fast. Whether it’s one of Flanagan’s films on Netflix, Ms. Marvel on Disney+, or Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga, those series are originals for those services, and are not part of the same pipeline that ensures that most movies and shows pop up on physical and digital store to bring home.
What about Flanagan’s other shows, The Haunting of Hill House and Haunting of Bly Manor? He addressed that in response to a fan question.
Shows on streaming services are sometimes produced as a joint project between two studios, so in this case Paramount does have that pipeline in place and wanted to release the Hauntings in a physical format, and shows produced alongside major networks or movie studios will probably see that treatment more often than shows produced exclusively by and for streaming services.
Netflix hasn’t historically removed shows without good reason. If something labeled a Netflix Original leaves the service, it’s generally due to a license ending, a decision made by the original rights holder, or due to a region-specific decision regarding the content. Netflix has also offered physical releases of some of its most popular series, like Stranger Things. Flanagan’s concern isn’t entirely unwarranted, though–while his movies probably aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, it’s always a possibility.
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