Netflix used to be an app on your phone or iPad that you went to when there was nothing else to do. Until the pandemic. Now people of all ages visit this app almost daily. Netflix took advantage of their newfound popularity and produced show after show appealing to audiences across the board. Netflix cancelled many of their older shows in the process. As people slowly come out of the pandemic, they are talking about the Netflix shows they had seen and recommended to their friends. Did you see Squid Games, Manifest or Outer Banks? If not, it’s time to turn on your TV, computer or phone and watch these popular shows.

Making way for new shows, older shows have been discontinued. Netflix does not own what is shared by them. Netflix has licensing agreements with the companies behind the TV shows and movies featured that you watch. If a license for the entertainment is starting to expire,  they take action by considering concerns and criticisms. If the show is renewed, it will continue to be on Netflix for your enjoyment, but if not renewed they will make sure you are aware that it will be leaving.

The world-renowned show, Gossip Girl, about privileged high school students on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with lots of drama and scandals was removed from Netflix in 2020. The show was discontinued due to Warner Bros. wanting back the license for the show. This was heartbreaking for many. “I was super upset when Gossip Girl was taken off Netflix because I can’t rewatch it,” junior Evelyn Ehrman said. 

Along with Gossip Girl, many other shows are no longer a part of the Netflix community. The Office is also a commonly-known American sitcom about the everyday lives of employees at a paper company in Scranton, PA,  that was taken off Netflix. The Office was discontinued in the beginning of 2021 on account of their contract running out. “I cared a lot when The Office was taken off Netflix because it was a really good show I could go back to from time to time, it was sad to see it go,” senior Spencer Golub said. 

As others continue to be flustered by their discontinued favorite shows, Netflix has come out with new and popular shows and movies for you and your friends to watch. Shows have been added such as Maid and Seinfeld, along with movies you may have watched before such as Project X. 

Since debuting on Netflix on Sept. 17, Squid Game has been the number one watched show in countries around the world. Squid Games is about contestants who accept an invitation to compete in children’s games for a tempting prize but the competition is fierce and deadly. “The whole show is just fun to watch and it’s just enjoyable because you never know what’s going to happen until it does. The actors in it are really good at playing their parts too. Watching it with friends is honestly so fun compared to just watching a random movie you find off Netflix to fill time,” freshman Lily Chen said.