Streaming platforms, such as Paramount+, have been canceling and removing series. According to Deadline, Hulu has been following suit due to Disney’s plans to review and remove content from their streaming services. This plan was announced in May by the Chief Financial Officer of Disney named Christine McCarthy.
As Deadline notes, McCarthy stated, “We are in the process of reviewing the content on our [direct-to-consumer] services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation. As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms, and currently expect to take an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 to $1.8 billion.” Disney reiterated these plans in their SEC filing.
To align with Disney’s requirements, Hulu will be removing titles, such as Alaska Daily and The Company You Keep earlier than expected. Both series premiered on ABC and were canceled after one season. According to Deadline, both series were meant to stay on Hulu until September, but they will now be removed next month.
Created by Tom McCarthy (Stillwater, Spotlight), the crime drama Alaska Daily first debuted in 2022. The series revolves around reporter Eileen Fitzgerald, played by Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don’t Cry). She decides to move from New York to Alaska, and she becomes involved with a daily newspaper in the city of Anchorage.
Other stars of Alaska Daily include Grace Dove (Bones of Crows, Monkey Beach) as Rosalind, Jeff Perry (My So-Called Life, Scandal) as Stanley, Ami Park (This Is Us, The Middle) as Yuna, and more.
The recently debuted series The Company You Keep, which premiered in May, was created by Julia Cohen (A Million Little Things, Degrassi). This drama series revolves around Charlie, played by Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls, This Is Us), and Emma, played by Catherine Haena Kim (Boyfriends of Christmas Past, Good Trouble). They are both polar opposites as Charlie is a con artist while Emma is a part of the CIA.
Other stars of The Company You Keep include Felisha Terrell (Queens, Fear Clinic) as Daphne, Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break, The Walking Dead) as Birdie, William Fichtner (Drive Angry, The Neighbor) as Leo, and more.
Unfortunately, fans of these two series will no longer be able to watch them on Hulu after next month. However, according to Deadline, there may still be hope after all as episodes may be available to buy on iTunes or Amazon.
In light of Disney’s plan to assess content, it will be interesting to see if any other series will be removed from the platform in the future.