Culture news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Netflix’s Forgotten 3-Part Horror Series Proves Its Staying Power by Quietly Climbing Another Streamer
Hemlock Grove, one of Netflix's earliest original series, has found renewed popularity on Apple's TV Store years after being pulled from Netflix entirely. The horror drama, which launched in 2013 alongside House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, was removed from Netflix in 2022, but has since climbed the charts as a paid title elsewhere, illustrating how even flagship "Netflix Original" content is not guaranteed a permanent home on the platform.
The series, based on Brian McGreevy's 2012 novel and executive produced by Eli Roth, blended werewolves, vampires and gothic melodrama in the fictional Pennsylvania town of the title, starring Landon Liboiron and Bill Skarsgård. It ran for three seasons, notably drawing more opening-weekend viewers than House of Cards during its debut run, and was quickly renewed for a second season before ending after its third in 2014. Its journey from Netflix flagship to forgotten show to a purchasable hit on a rival storefront highlights the precariousness of streaming libraries, even as Netflix prepares to release more than 700 original series in 2026 alone.
In short
- Hemlock Grove, a 2013 Netflix original, vanished from the platform in 2022.
- It's now a bestseller for purchase on the Apple TV Store.
- Shows the impermanence of even flagship "Netflix Original" content.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Content removal from streaming platforms undermines the consumer value proposition and breaks the promise of permanent, convenient access to digital entertainment. When a successful show like Hemlock Grove is removed despite drawing viewers comparable to flagship productions, this suggests licensing costs rather than quality determine retention. This creates frustration for subscribers and raises questions about whether they're truly subscribing to content or merely renting temporary access to an ever-shifting catalogue.
The case against
Content removal is an inevitable aspect of sustainable streaming economics, governed by time-limited and cost-escalating licensing agreements that platforms cannot maintain in perpetuity. Retaining every title would be economically unviable and would divert resources from the new original programming that actually drives subscriptions. The fact that Hemlock Grove has found success on Apple TV Store demonstrates that quality content circulates through different platforms, maximising value for creators and rights holders whilst allowing platforms to operate profitably.
Explained simply
Hemlock Grove is a horror drama series that aired on Netflix starting in 2013, during the platform's early years of producing original content. It followed supernatural events in a fictional Pennsylvania town, featuring werewolves, vampires and gothic storylines, and starred actors including Bill Skarsgård. The series ran for three seasons before ending in 2014.
When it premiered, Hemlock Grove was successful enough to draw a larger opening-weekend audience than House of Cards, Netflix's flagship prestige drama, and was quickly renewed for a second season. However, like many older streaming titles, Netflix removed the show from its platform entirely in 2022.
The series has since reappeared as a paid purchase option on Apple's TV Store, where it has recently climbed the charts. This development illustrates how content that Netflix branded as an "original" series is not guaranteed permanent availability on the platform, highlighting the shifting nature of what streaming services choose to host, remove or make available for purchase.