Is Netflix removing Supernatural? Future of the Jensen Ackles show's streaming, explored 

Supernatural enthusiasts may want to set their calendars. The fantasy show, which originally ran from 2005 to 2020, will be departing Netflix U.S. on December 18th, 2025, marking the end of its multi-year run on the platform. The change has nothing to do with decreased popularity; the show continues to thrive years after its series finale, and more to do with a standard licensing deal expiring.

Widely quoted reports on The Direct, CBR, and Decider indicate that all 15 seasons and 327 episodes of Supernatural will be removed from Netflix U.S. on or around December 18, 2025. All of this is contained in a five-year licensing deal that became operative when the final season was made available on Netflix, shortly after its initial broadcast ended in November 2020. The streaming rights then reverted to their initial licensor, Warner Bros. Television, now part of Warner Bros. Discovery.

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Why is Supernatural leaving Netflix?

The Supernatural exit from Netflix is a consequence of an existing five-year licensing deal, which was part of a huge output deal between Netflix and The CW. The deal was targeted at the majority of CW shows, allowing them to be included on Netflix around eight days after the season finales were aired. All programs that were part of this deal remained on the network for five years after their last season premiered.

For Supernatural, its five-year renewal clock began running as of the day its series finale was aired in November 2020, and the last season rolled out on Netflix a few weeks later. That deal will expire in December 2025, at which point the show will be removed.

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What happens after the series is taken off Netflix?

Once the licensing deal expires, Warner Bros. Discovery has sole distribution rights to Supernatural. Currently, there's no official announcement regarding the show's future on the streaming networks. Nevertheless, based on available industry trends, the series will be moved to Max (formerly known as HBO Max), which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.

This is a larger trend in the wider entertainment world, as media conglomerates are pulling their holdings off third-party streamers like Netflix and taking back programming to their own properties. If Supernatural becomes part of Max, it would be following other Warner-owned properties that have done so.

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Will the series still be available to stream elsewhere?

Yes, Supernatural can still be purchased from online stores even after it has been removed from Netflix. Fans can still purchase episodes or seasons from apps such as:

Amazon Prime Video

Apple TV/iTunes

Vudu

Google Play Movies

Physical copies, in the form of DVD and Blu-ray box sets for all 15 seasons, are still available for purchase.

Netflix's streaming license expiration will not impact these alternatives, as they are built on different terms of distribution.

The non-U.S. audience may not be affected immediately, as country-to-country licensing agreements vary for Netflix.

Subscribers in other nations should be aware that Warner Bros. Discovery may pursue similar steps worldwide, particularly if the network decides to concentrate the show's availability on its streaming platform globally.

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What does this do for the series franchise?

Even as its exit from Netflix marks the end of an era in streaming, it does not mean the end of the Supernatural franchise. The fanbase remains strong, conventions continue to be populated with fans who attend, and spin-offs and ancillary projects remain of interest, most notably The Winchesters, the prequel series that debuted in 2022 under the Warner Bros. banner.

As long as there are viewers hungry for content and access to online platforms, the franchise will persist in some form, perhaps just on a different platform.

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Also read: The Supernatural stars have a great idea for a reboot, but with a major twist