Here's the Real Reason Why 'The Andy Griffith Show' Left Netflix

Nothing lasts forever — and that goes for your favorite streaming shows on Netflix. If it’s not a Netflix original, beware. It might just be next on the chopping block. We’ve seen it happen to Friends and Mad Men — and now the classic sitcom The Andy Griffith Show is the latest to get booted off the streaming platform. Along with Cheers, The Andy Griffith Show left Netflix July 1 — but why?

Although Andy Griffith is a show about a cop, it's most likely not leaving due to that reason (like how Cops and Live PD got pulled from the air). The Andy Griffith Show is most likely getting pulled from Netflix because CBS’s streaming service CBS All Access would rather you subscribe to and pay to use their platform versus watch CBS shows on Netflix. Some speculate that Star Trek and The Twilight Zone will be next to go, for the same reason.

The same thing will happen to The Office and Parks and Recreation. Both are NBC shows and NBC wants you to subscribe to their streaming service Peacock. The Office is set to leave Netflix by the end of 2020 and Parks and Rec is slated to be pulled in October 2020. 

Does that mean all non-Netflix originals will leave the streaming platform one day? Maybe. We just hope that doesn’t mean we have to subscribe to 1,000 separate streaming services in order to watch some of our favorite shows.

Before you get too mad at Netflix, know that it’s probably either super expensive to license certain shows, or just straight up impossible. CBS simply may not allow Netflix to license The Andy Griffith Show anymore.

If you’re bummed about this departure, have hope: Amazon Prime currently streams eight seasons. If you have an account, that means you can watch the show for free. But you better dedicate some time to binge, because it’s unclear how much longer Amazon Prime will continue to stream The Andy Griffith Show.