As Netflix continues to develop more and more original content, it only makes sense for the streaming service to gradually cut back on the amount of licensed programming available to subscribers. And in what is going to come as an unpleasant surprise to many, at the end of the month Netflix is about to cut a huge chunk of its library. Starting April 1 (and no, this sadly isn’t some cruel April Fool’s joke), Joss Whedon’s classic series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse will all be leaving Netflix, in addition to all nine seasons of The X-Files, five seasons of Ally McBeal, three seasons of Roswell, and the first season of Better Off Ted, among others.
This isn’t the first time Netflix has juggled the X-Files, which it pulled from the library two years ago before eventually bringing it back. With the direction the company is heading however, it seems unlikely that there’s room for both the old and the new. There’s good news though, because you can still watch Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and The X-Files on Hulu (sadly no Dollhouse), but for those who don’t already subscribe that means picking up an extra service. Will this present a choice for budget-conscious subscribers who have to decide between comfort TV and binging the next season of Orange is the New Black? Only time will tell.
