Why ‘The Good Place’ is Leaving Netflix Internationally (Yes, Even Though It’s a Netflix Original)

After plenty of speculation, we’ve now got official confirmation that The Good Place is leaving Netflix in all regions where it carries the “Netflix Original” branding on September 25th, just as we previously covered back here when the United States saw the series depart in full.

If you’ve logged onto X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, or TikTok recently, you’ve probably seen the outrage and confusion from subscribers. The prevailing question we’re seeing in our inboxes is: “Wait, how can Netflix remove a Netflix Original?!”

It’s a valid question. After all, the word “Original” implies that Netflix made it, owns it, and will keep it on its servers until the end of time. But the reality of streaming rights is a lot more complicated than a red ‘N’ logo on a thumbnail.

Here’s the scoop on why Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason are packing their bags, and why “Original” doesn’t always mean forever.

The “Netflix Original” Label Explained

To understand why The Good Place is leaving, we have to look back at how the show was distributed.

The Good Place is actually an NBCUniversal production. When the show first premiered back in 2016, it aired weekly on the NBC network in the United States. However, to bring the show to international audiences, Netflix struck a lucrative licensing deal with NBCUniversal for exclusive international distribution rights.

Because Netflix was the sole and exclusive home for the show in regions like the UK, Australia, Canada, and parts of Europe, they were legally allowed to slap the “Netflix Original” branding on it and market it as their own. We’ve seen this exact same strategy used for other massive network hits like Riverdale, Better Call Saul, and Peaky Blinders.

However, these distribution deals aren’t permanent. They are essentially long-term rentals. Netflix agreed to lease the international streaming rights for a set number of years following the addition of the final season. With that predetermined window now closing, the rights are reverting back to NBCUniversal. Going forward, the series will likely be consolidated onto NBCUniversal’s own streaming platforms (like Peacock, where available) or licensed out to other local broadcasters.

Even shows produced exclusively for Netflix can fall under this too. In fact, Mike Schur’s Netflix show A Man on the Inside will eventually revert back to NBCUniversal too. 

Despite the show concluding all the way back in 2020, it remains an absolute juggernaut in the streaming world. If you plug the show into our handy Netflix Engagement Report Search tool, you can easily see its performance on Netflix over the past few years. Since 2023 and through mid-2023, the series has picked up 371.9M viewing hours across its four seasons, although there’s been a notable decline since the series departed the US library. 

If you’ve been a longtime reader of What’s on Netflix, you’ll know that this isn’t an isolated incident. In fact, the list of Netflix Originals leaving the service grows longer every single month.

Whether it’s co-productions, exclusive international distribution deals, or early legacy titles where Netflix simply didn’t own the underlying IP (like the Marvel Defenders saga or Hemlock Grove), the era of permanent streaming libraries is officially over.

We actually keep a running tracker of this phenomenon. You can check out our massive, ever-updating list of every single Netflix Original removed from Netflix here.

The departure of The Good Place is just the tip of the iceberg as we head into the fall.

It is going to be an exceptionally busy month for TV removals across the board. We are currently tracking several other high-profile licensed series that are slated to depart both in the US and abroad. 

To make sure you don’t miss out on finishing your current binge-watch, head over to our comprehensive guide on what’s leaving Netflix in October 2025.

Will you be doing one final marathon of The Good Place before it vanishes into the Bad Place on September 25th? Let us know in the comments down below!