<p id=”par-1_112″>Netflix is largely credited with helping to build the streaming service model. The company, in some ways, walked so everyone else could run. Part of their early success relied on amassing a library stacked with <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/must-watch-new-netflix-shows-may-2026.html/”>beloved sitcoms and plenty of dramas.</a> Over time, the streaming juggernaut changed its focus, building out an original library that they thought would give them an edge. While their production arms have crafted some truly iconic shows, their pre-existing catalogue has suffered for it. Over the last several years, they’ve lost licensing to several beloved series. There is more to come, too. These have been the biggest losses thus far, and many of them happened this year.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-office-and-friends-were-the-first-to-go”>‘The Office’ and ‘Friends’ were the first to go </h2>
<p id=”par-2_75″>Netflix spent the early years of streaming as the biggest name in the game, but as more companies and production houses launched their own platforms, Netflix started to lose more than it gained in the streaming wars. 2021 is largely considered the beginning of major losses to the platform’s catalogue. In the months leading up to 2021, and during the early days of the pandemic, Netflix lost the license to stream <em>Friends</em> and <em>The Office.</em></p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Selleck-on-Friends.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Tom Selleck, wearing a tux, standing between Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox in ‘Friends'” class=”wp-image-3744745″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>A season 2 episode of ‘Friends’ | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_81″><em>Friends </em>found its seemingly permanent home on HBO Max, while The Office became the jewel in Peacock’s crown. At the time, <em>The Office </em>was the most streamed show on Netflix. Netflix tried to pivot, setting its sights on <em>Seinfeld</em>. The company landed <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/do-you-know-how-long-it-would-take-to-binge-watch-seinfeld-on-netflix.html/”>the worldwide rights to <em>Seinfeld </em></a>in a five-year deal with Sony worth more than $500 million, positioning the sitcom as a direct replacement for the gap left by Friends and The Office. The replacement might be leaving soon, too.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-ra-and-the-princesses-of-power-is-in-legal-limbo”>‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ is in legal limbo </h2>
<p id=”par-4_55″>Netflix is constantly shedding and adding titles, but February 2026 brought about a unique conundrum for animated series fans. Netflix suddenly removed the animated series <em>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power f</em>rom its catalogue without warning. The series was a DreamWorks-produced show that had carried the “Netflix Original” label. Fans assumed it would land elsewhere.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-2″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 1 Trailer | Fandango Family” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/7s-vQQL_Qc0?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p id=”par-5_48″>It has now been five months, and no other service has picked up the rights to the show. The show’s final two seasons were never given a physical or digital release, meaning they are effectively unavailable now. <em>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power </em>has vanished into thin air.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-gilmore-girls-departed-at-the-end-of-june”>Gilmore Girls’ departed at the end of June </h2>
<p id=”par-6_68″>Perhaps the most emotional exit of the last six years belongs to Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. After a 12-year run and one four-part revival, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/netflix-bids-farewell-to-stars-hollow-where-to-watch-gilmore-girls-now.html/”>all seven seasons of the original<em> Gilmore Girls </em>departed</a> Netflix in the U.S. on June 30, 2026. Netflix marked the moment with a tongue-in-cheek social media post calling the show “a lifestyle” and “a religion,” while thanking fans for visiting Stars Hollow with them.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Mia-Glmore-Gilrs.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Rory and Lorelai sit with Mia at Luke’s Diner in season 2 of ‘Gilmore Girls'” class=”wp-image-3851669″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Rory, Lorelai Mia and Luke | Gilmore Girls/YouTube</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-7_67″>Behind the scenes, Netflix was reportedly working to keep the fine folks of Stars Hollow alive and well on their platform, but a deal was not reached in time. The loss hit Netflix subscribers hard, but the show was already living elsewhere. <em>Gilmore Girls</em> was added to Hulu and Disney+ in December 2024. It went live on Amazon Prime Video right as it went dark on Netflix.</p>
<p id=”par-8_34″>The four-part revival currently lives on Netflix, but it won’t for long. The licensing agreement for that project is up in November, and most people assume Netflix will bid adieu to the revival, too.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-shameless-and-seinfeld-could-be-leaving-soon”>‘Shameless’ and ‘Seinfeld’ could be leaving soon</h2>
<p id=”par-9_85″><em>Seinfeld </em>might have been an acquisition that made the loss of <em>Friends </em>and <em>The Office</em> feel a bit less world-ending, but that deal is set to expire soon, too. Netflix’s five-year, $500-million-plus agreement for global <em>Seinfeld </em>rights closes out on October 1, 2026, six years after the show finally landed there. Netflix hasn’t mentioned its plan for the series, but without another massive bid, the gang will probably move on to a different streaming service provider. Insiders suspect the series could land on Peacock next.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-4″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Shameless | Season 1 Trailer | Warner Bros. Rewind” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/9tvkYS5cA58?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/meet-the-empire-state-building-climbers-in-netflixs-skywalkers-a-love-story.html/”>
Meet the Empire State Building Climbers in Netflix’s ‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-10_86″><em>Seinfeld </em>isn’t the only well-liked series set to leave the platform later this year, either. <em>Shameless</em>, the Showtime dramedy starring William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, is scheduled to leave Netflix in October 2026. With 134 episodes, it’s one of the platform’s most steadily streamed series. If the show leaves, it will be one of Netflix’s biggest single-series losses by episode count. While Netflix executives might still cut a deal, their recent losses suggest that they might not be invested enough to keep titles like <em>Shameless</em>.</p>