No one can survive the great war of the streaming era. Paramount+, the latest platform to succumb to it, brutally cut multiple TV shows from its service—and out of existence. David Zaslav set an unwarranted and crappy precedent last year when he decided to remove several originals from Max; now, we’re all paying the price.
Paramount+ is canceling four TV shows and permanently slicing them from streaming. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this decision results from the company wanting to have tax write-offs. The exact amount of said write-offs will be revealed during an upcoming company earnings call. Paramount+ is another prominent streamer to do this, after Warner Bros. and Disney+.
The high-profile shows on the chopping block include this year’s The Rise Of The Pink Ladies, the Grease prequel, which is now canceled after one season and will be removed. The series aired its finale on June 1. (They didn’t even give it a whole month to boost viewership, huh?) Paramount has reversed its season two renewal for the Emmy-winning Star Trek: Prodigy, an animated series part of the larger Star Trek universe. Reality competition series Queen Of The Universe, which debuted earlier in June, has also been canceled. And finally, P+’s revival of the game show aptly titled The Game is ending after two seasons. The four shows will be removed sometime next week.
In a statement to THR, a Paramount+ spokesperson said, “We want to extend our thanks to our tremendously talented cast and crew and our producing partners for their passionate work and dedication on these programs, and we wish them all the best on their future endeavors.” How warm.
Additionally, the streaming platform is getting ready to welcome Showtime programming to its lineup. Obvious corporate synergy aside, it’s a match made in heaven; Showtime also recently removed a whole bunch of original content, including Kidding, Super Pumped, American Gigolo, and On Becoming A God In Central Florida, among other shows. And it looks like the nightmare has only just begun now that the two are officially joining forces.
The spokesperson’s statement continued, “As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the U.S., we are refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience for subscribers. This is consistent with our content strategy since launch and across our business, which ensures we make smart, efficient choices, informed by audience data and insights. We are removing select programming as we look to optimize Showtime’s robust slate of premium originals.”
You can call it straight-up creative murder or the cost of doing business. Regardless, the studios continue the trend of not supporting the creators and artists who have provided their networks content art during the ongoing Writers Guild of Association strike and a looming SAG-AFTRA strike. Subscribers now can’t watch or catch up to the stuff being taken down, and the creators continue to see their work at the mercy of corporate overlords.
Well, so long, Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, The Game, and Queen Of The Universe. And if your favorite TV show is currently on Paramount+ (or literally streaming anywhere), I’d suggest getting to it one last time, just to be safe.