In the same way that Matt Saracen eventually had to leave Dillon to fully realize his true value and worth, Friday Night Lights is leaving the platform that helped solidify its status as one of the most beloved shows of the ’00s. Yes, as confirmed by Decider, the show is one of the few (soon to be more) clearing off the streaming giant to make way for more original content. Per Netflix’s statement:
[lborder]Yes, 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights will be rolling off the service in October. The license for a TV series or movie is for a set period of time, which means every title eventually comes up for renewal. At that point we take a variety of factors into account to determine if we will renew the title. As we expand our content portfolio, our goal is to continue offering great movies and TV series for our members, while also providing content that is available exclusively on Netflix.
[/lborder]What’s that? Oh yeah, 30 Rock will also be departing as well. There’s no precise date given, but Decider speculates that they’ll be headed out the first of the month.
The reason for the departure? Netflix received streaming licenses for most of its prized shows back when it was still in its nascent years in the early 2010s, when the value of streaming video was still difficult to determine. Netflix gambled big, and that gamble paid off, but the contracts for many of the shows are up this year and, what’s more, the people who own the shows are much more aware of their value. Word is, a lot of the shows will be headed over to Hulu, just like Julie Taylor eventually decided to join Matt in Chicago, despite the protestations of her parents.
