Max Just Removed A Massively Popular Series, Again
David Zaslav continues his grudge against the word “West.”
If there’s one lesson that Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service, has taught viewers since its 2020 launch, it’s that nothing is forever. Sure, shows can come and go on other services as rights shift, but Netflix originals, as a rule, are on the service for good. On Max, however, anything is possible. Fans learned this the hard way in 2022 when a slew of original shows — including hits like Westworld — were unceremoniously removed from streaming.
Now, that merciless deletion policy has spread to Max’s back catalog, proving yet another sobering reminder that, in the streaming era, nothing is permanent.
The West Wing was a smash hit over its seven seasons, earning 26 Emmy Awards.
From 1999 to 2006, Warner Bros. Television produced The West Wing, a drama set in the White House. Created by Aaron Sorkin, it was a hit that had a huge influence on modern television, most notably for popularizing the “walk-and-talk,” a long, unbroken shot where two characters can have an exposition-filled conversation without looking boring. There are walk-and-talks all throughout Game of Thrones, for example, so you have The West Wing to thank/blame for all that expository strolling through the gardens of King’s Landing.
The West Wing still has a hardcore fanbase and should be a major draw for Max, but as the calendar ticked into the new year, it was unceremoniously erased from the service; it never even got a “leaving soon” label. According to Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter, the show was removed as a “cost-cutting” measure. Now you either need to purchase the seasons digitally or shell out for the Blu-Ray box set.
While it’s possible another streamer will license The West Wing in the future, this is a harsh reality check for all streaming users. No series — especially an HBO and Max series — is safe from digital oblivion, be it a licensed show or an original.
The Penguin breakout Cristin Milioti previously starred in the HBO Max series Made For Love, which is now totally unavailable to watch.
Such reckless, short-sighted decisions have had ripple effects. Cristin Milioti, for example, garnered acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Sofia Gigante on The Penguin, but it wasn’t the first time she starred in a Max series. In 2021, she led the sci-fi series Made for Love, but after it was removed from Max in 2023, it’s not even available to purchase legally. Penguin fans impressed by her performance could have binged this series — and potentially subscribed to Max for longer — but that’s no longer possible.
There’s no telling what show will be next on the chopping block, but this latest update is a reminder not to take any streaming series for granted. Back in the day, a series would at least get occasional reruns, and unless it was a total flop, it likely got a physical release, too. Now, a show pulled from streaming can simply become unavailable forever, even if that decision hurts fans. Like anything else in life, enjoy what you’ve got while you have it.
Update 1/8: The West Wing has been added back to Max just as quietly as it was erased. A happy ending, but the grim reality remains.
