Disney+ and Hulu to remove dozens of shows starting this week

Additional shows could still be removed this week, and more shows are expected to be dropped from the platforms in the future.

In a Twitter thread Thursday, former “Willow” writer John Bickerstaff described the cuts as “cruel” and “bad business.”

“They gave us six months. Not even,” he said. “This business has become absolutely cruel. Before you say tax-write off: these shows have already been released and so can’t be a write-off. And in the case of Willow, they own the property outright. The only conclusion is that this is to get out of paying residuals. During a strike. And look, eternal streaming libraries are not sustainable. We’re all going to have to adjust to that at some point. But to spend [REDACTED] on a show and then disappear it six months later is just bad business.”

Disney
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announced the upcoming removals earlier this month along with its quarterly earnings report. On a conference call with analysts, Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy said Disney was reviewing its content to “align with strategic changes in our approach to content curation.”

“We will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms, and currently expect to take an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion,” she said. 

More: Streaming nirvana is about to become more expensive — and offer less content

While no details have been released, it’s expected that the removed shows will eventually show up elsewhere, whether on FAST streaming channels or on third-party platforms.

Also see: Comcast is ‘more likely than not’ to sell Hulu stake to Disney next year, CEO says

The move comes after Warner Bros. Discovery’s
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HBO Max has similarly removed shows, such as’ “Westworld” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” while canceling other productions, such as the nearly completed “Batgirl” movie, to save money.

Here are some of the Disney+ and Hulu shows set to be removed:

• America the Beautiful
• Among the Stars
• Artemis Fowl
• Be Our Chef
• Best In Dough
• Best In Snow
• Better Nate Than Ever
• The Big Fib
• Big Shot
• Black Beauty
• Cheaper by the Dozen (2022)
• Clouds
• Diary of a Future President
• Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
• Dollface
• Earth to Ned
• Encore!
• Everything’s Trash
• Foodtastic
• Harmonious Live!
• It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer
• Just Beyond
• Little Demon
• Love in the Time of Corona
• Maggie
• Magic Camp
• The Making of Willow
• Marvel’s Hero Project
• The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
• More Than Robots
• The Mysterious Benedict Society
• The One and Only Ivan
• Own the Room
• Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays
• Pick of the Litter
• Pistol
• The Premise
• The Princess
• The Quest
• The Real Right Stuff
• Rogue Trip
• Rosaline
• Shop Class
• Stargirl
• Stuntman
• Timmy Failure
• Turner & Hooch
• Weird but True!
• Willow
• Wolfgang
• The World According to Jeff Goldblum
• Y: The Last Man

Updated May 19 with additional shows to be removed.