Each month, we discover a new batch of movies and TV shows leaving Netflix, in addition to ones that will become available for streaming during the upcoming month. While the last few purges have been somewhat lean in quality, there are quite a few gems you’ll want to binge before October 1st. As has been the case since the announcement earlier this summer, FOX struck a new distribution deal, gradually moving all its content from Netflix to Hulu. As such, quite a few of the network’s animated and live action shows will leave Netflix in October. In fact, fourteen different TV shows across various networks will get the boot, but at least we have season two of Stranger Things to look forward to, right?
Some really excellent, Oscar-winning films like the Coen Brothers’ Barton Fink and Francis Ford Coppola’s Patton are set for departure. Then, there’s the array of super popular romances (like Love Actually and Titanic) and musicals (like Happy Feet and Across the Universe), which will only stick around Netflix for another week and change. You’d think they’d at least leave all the horror and Halloween-related films alone, but sadly The Shining, Hotel Transylvania 2, and Hellboy also have to go. All total, nearly fifty departures are confirmed, but these are the 18 Best Movies And TV Shows Leaving Netflix In October.
Family Guy and The Cleveland Show
Say it ain’t so! Fox's mass exodus from Netflix is now in full swing, starting with two more of its animated series, Family Guy and The Cleveland Show. While we love the wit and warmth of The Cleveland Show, we could deal with its loss, but not Family Guy too! Now what will we watch when we can’t agree on anything else to watch? Family Guy is always the neutral go-to because you can just put on any episode and be instantly entertained—laughing like a hyena by the end of the episode. There are so many great characters like Quagmire and Stewie, never mind Peter, who’s somehow even stupider than Homer Simpson.
Oh well, at least we’ll still have seasons one through eight for a little while longer (aka the show's best years), but it’s only a matter of time before those are all gone too.
The Shining
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes a job as the winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, his family in tow. As the weather outside begins to deteriorate, so too does Jack’s sanity, as supernatural forces haunting the hotel gradually reveal themselves to him and his son Danny—a sensitive boy with telepathic abilities. You do not want to know what’s in room 237.
Even now, nearly forty years later, The Shining stands the test of time as a genuinely terrifying film. However, Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece departs Netflix October 1st. Despite not sticking around through Halloween, you can still get your Stephen King fix on Netflix with Dreamcatcher or Children of the Corn, and of course, the latest IT reboot in theaters.
Big Daddy
Remember when Adam Sandler movies didn’t make you want to gouge your eyes out? Even though it has a typically stupid premise—a guy adopts a kid to impress his ex and then instantly regrets it when she still won’t give him the time of day—Big Daddy is a genuinely funny film. As always, Sandler plays an emotionally stunted guy who wants to avoid responsibility and adulthood at all costs. In the process of trying to take the easy way out, he actually has a meaningful relationship with someone and realizes that he should really get his act together.
Sandler has some pretty sweet moments here, like the Scuba Sam and trick-or-treating scenes, but really, it's the adorable little boy Julian (played by the Sprouse twins), that stands as the true scene stealer.
Across the Universe
Julie Taymor’s love letter to The Beatles, Across the Universe follows the lives of a group of young people as they find and lose love during the psychedelic sixties. Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess play the central characters, Lucy and Jude, appropriately named after two Beatles songs, “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “Hey Jude.” It’s a musical, so expect lots of singing, but the film manages to at least put the songs in places that make narrative sense.
Aside from the music, there’s also plenty of fabulous eye candy; a scene with Mr. Kite, played by the always fabulous Eddie Izzard, is a particular standout. Even if you weren’t a Beatles fan before, you will be after watching this film, as it magically makes their music come to life in a way that just can’t be put into words.
Friday Night Lights (Seasons 1-5)
Like the film of the same name, Friday Night Lights explored the world of a small Texas town, placing their local high school’s football team front and center. While the film focused more on the team’s path to the state championship, the TV show was able to delve into the relationships of the people who lived there—particularly head coach Eric Taylor and his family.
There’s also tons more drama between all the teenage characters in the TV show, with many of them dealing with heavy issues like racism, alcoholism, pregnancy, and abortion. While Friday Night Lights never had particularly high ratings, it did have a diehard fan base, mainly due to its realistic portrayal of life in a small town where opportunities are few and far between.
Million Dollar Baby
Both Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank star in the Oscar-winning sports drama, Million Dollar Baby. In the vein of Rocky and similar boxing flicks, Swank plays a fierce underdog named Maggie, who trains her way to success with the help of cranky old gym owner, Frankie (Eastwood), and his assistant Eddie (Morgan Freeman). The film was critically acclaimed for its writing and emotional impact, packing an intense and oftentimes dark punch.
Despite it seemingly following a well-treaded path laid out by other sports films, Million Dollar Baby will surprise you with the direction it actually takes you. Prepare yourself for an unconventional look into pursuing one’s dreams and all the glory, risk, and disappointment that comes with it. Now pass the tissues, please.
One Tree Hill (Seasons 1-9)
Another high school drama well worth a binge, One Tree Hill lasted for nine seasons on The CW. It starred Chad Michael Murray and James Lafferty as the two main protagonists, brothers Lucas and Nathan Scott. Like Friday Night Lights, One Tree Hill also has a strong sports element to it, with the brothers both playing for their school’s basketball team.
As you might expect, the show has all the hallmarks of a CW show—love triangles, rivalries, and plenty of dramatic story elements that pop up along the way, including the murder of a supporting character. Despite having nine seasons to its name, One Tree Hill is surprisingly easy to binge through. If you start now and do absolutely nothing else for the next ten days, you could probably get through all 187 episodes. Challenge accepted?
Patton
George C. Scott stars here in one of his most famous roles--as the colorful WWII General, George S. Patton. Patton follows the General throughout his various assignments in North Africa and Western Europe, including many controversial incidents that nearly cost him his military career. One of the most iconic moments of the film actually happens at the very beginning, when Patton delivers a rousing and patriotic monologue in front of a giant American flag, though Patton makes for a compelling watch throughout if you can handle its nearly three hour runtime.
The real General Patton was prone to making himself out as some kind of symbol, both for his men and America in general. George C. Scott’s portrayal of Patton earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, although he refused to accept his golden statue. The film also received seven other Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Francis Ford Coppola).
My Name is Earl (Seasons 1-4)
From the creator of Raising Hope and The Millers, My Name is Earl follows a guy named, well, Earl (Jason Lee) who’s plagued with bad luck. After losing a winning lottery ticket and then finding it once again, Earl is convinced that his crappy hand in life is due to all his bad karma. He creates a list of his bad deeds and sets out to right all his wrongs. But, as he’s undoubtedly a flawed human being, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Like the saying goes, “Karma is a b***h” and Earl frequently finds himself at its mercy, despite his attempts to be good. Although it only lasted for four seasons, My Name is Earl deserves a binge before October 1st, if only to laugh at all of the dumb redneck adventures the title character has.
Mortal Kombat
As far as video game adaptations go, Mortal Kombat did pretty well for itself despite getting mixed reviews from critics at the time. The live action film features many of the game’s most well-known characters, specifically following Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade as they fight to save the Earth from Shang Tsung.
Although the plot follows a pretty basic B-movie martial arts format, there’s plenty of action set amid exotic locales, much like the Mortal Kombat games themselves. It definitely plays to the fans who are familiar with the characters, but it’s still a fun, and sometimes campy, martial arts film regardless. Don’t expect any gratuitous gore or signature fatalities, however. The film was released as a PG-13 family-friendly-ish film, which at least gives you a way to ease in an introduction to the series if you’re looking to share it with younger siblings, cousins, or kids.
Love Actually
Love Actually has frequently come and gone from Netflix over the years, but it’s kind of a bummer to see it leaving right before the holiday season. It’s the sort of warm and fuzzies-filled film that's capable of instantly restore your faith in love, especially after a breakup. While the film jumps between a number of different vignettes, the lives of all the characters are connected. As an audience, we get to see how each of their individual love stories play out and eventually come together at the end.
There have been a bunch of copycat films since then, like Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, but despite casts full of A-list actors and musicians, they haven't yet replicated the success of Love Actually. It’s a classic for a reason. There’s humor and intelligence throughout, as well as revelations on how love is never quite as simple as we hoped it'd be.
The Wonder Years (Seasons 1-6)
One of the best TV shows of all time, The Wonder Years broke the mold of a typical family sitcom. Although it premiered in the '80s, it told the story of a boy, Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), growing up during the radical 1960s—forced to deal with his own adolescence in addition to the changing times around him. Much of the show revolves around Kevin’s relationship with his family and friends, including his on again off again love interest, Winnie.
Like Mad Men, The Wonder Years showed how the political and social climate affected the people of the time, although from a much more innocent, child’s point of view. Fred Savage was nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actor for a Comedy Series Emmy when he was just thirteen for his role as Kevin Arnold, and the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in its very first season. If any 1980s show was bingeworthy, this is it.
Mulholland Drive
Although Twin Peaks may have taken its final bow (at least for now), you can still get your fill of David Lynch’s special brand of paranormal weirdness through a viewing of Mulholland Drive. Naomi Watts got her start in this film, playing an aspiring actress who finds a woman with amnesia in her aunt’s apartment. As they begin to unravel the woman’s identity, reality begins to unravel as well.
As you might expect from Lynch, things aren’t as they seem. Hallucinations and images from the subconscious mingle with reality, forming a frequently terrifying story of madness and identity. Like Twin Peaks, it’s full of mystery and intrigue, often confusing, but with the pieces all coming together at the very end. In fact, it was originally conceived as a spinoff for the Audrey Horne character, which brings up a lot of questions in relation to Audrey’s role in Twin Peaks: The Return. But that's a tale for another day.
Fox TV: Prison Break, Malcolm in the Middle, & Bones
In keeping with their mass clear out , FOX is pulling three more major TV shows from Netflix. Prison Break’s first four thrilling seasons are gone come October 1st. Fans will have to get their Wentworth Miller fix on either The Flash or Legends of Tomorrow, where he plays Leonard Snart aka Captain Cold.
Malcolm in the Middle also leaves the streaming service next month, much to our dismay. Fans of Breaking Bad have to go back and watch Bryan Cranston play a completely different kind of dad pre-Walter White while they still can.
Then there’s the long-running Bones, which took its final bow earlier this spring. An FBI forensics show, fans tuned in for the sexual tension between David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel’s characters as much as they did for the crime solving in each episode. Although these shows will be gone from Netflix, you can still watch them on Hulu, at least until FOX decides to follow Disney’s lead and create its own streaming service.
Titanic
Say what you will about James Cameron as a filmmaker, but there's no mistaking that the man knows how to craft a successful blockbuster. Titanic came out twenty years ago, but it's still the second highest grossing film of all time. The world fell in love with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the star-crossed lovers, Jack and Rose, a modern day(ish) Romeo and Juliet of the highest order.
If you've never seen it, clear out a chunk of three hours and fifteen minutes—on a Saturday or Sunday, probably—and watch the epic, tear-jerking love story unfold. Even if you've seen the film a hundred times already, you've still got over a week left to potentially watch it another hundred times.
Louie: Seasons 1-5
If you're a fan of Louis C.K.'s stand up, you owe it to yourself to binge through all five seasons of his FX series Louie before it leaves Netflix on October 27th. Louis C.K. wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy, which is basically a fictionalized version of his life. Much like Jerry Seinfeld once did in Seinfeld, there are segments of his stand-up interspersed with the narrative action. However, this is not a sitcom, but rather a re-telling of moments in his life—mainly revolving around his two daughters and his (oftentimes brutally awkward) search for love.
A number of famous comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman, and Robin Williams guest star, sometimes as themselves, and sometimes as fictionalized versions of their public personas. It's a fabulous showcase of Louis C.K.'s all around talent and his cynical, dark comedic style.
30 Rock (Seasons 1-7)
Tina Fey's 30 Rock series racked up over eighty-six awards in its seven year run, not only for its stellar acting, but for its writing, directing, and producing. It was just one of those comedies that kept you coming back week after week for the ridiculous scenarios the characters found themselves in, along with the wacky characters themselves.
Many of the stars were former SNL cast members, or hosts, and their sketch comedy roots certainly shined through. In fact, the whole premise of the smash hit series revolves around a faux sketch show, "TGS With Tracy Jordan," and how the people behind the scenes have to deal with both crazy stars and crazy co-workers/bosses. It's definitely one of those shows that will make you feel better about your own work situation. Well, hopefully.
Hellboy
Ron Perlman stars in one of his most memorable roles to date, as the paranormal superhero Hellboy, a demon from hell who’s rescued from becoming a Nazi superweapon. After the Americans intervene, Hellboy grows up under the care of Professor Broom (John Hurt), whose Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense becomes Hellboy’s new home. Along with Selma Blair's Liz Sherman, his love interest, and Abe Sapien, an amphibious man with telepathic abilities, the team helps defend the world from evil—namely a mechanical Nazi named Rasputin.
With acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro at the helm, Hellboy’s a fantastical jaunt to hell and back, with plenty of the horrific SFX eye candy del Toro is known for. The film itself is full of wit—thanks to Perlman’s dry delivery—and even a touch of romance for good measure. It’s definitely an alternative kind of superhero flick that’s refreshingly unique and engaging.
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Which of these titles just shot to the forefront of your queue? Is this Netflix's worst departure collection yet? Sound off in the comments.