Netflix set to remove its first ever original series from the platform in November

Lilyhammer
(Image credit: Netflix/NK1)

Lilyhammer fans best get cracking on a rewatch, as Netflix is set to remove the crime comedy-drama from its US platform in November. The streamer has been quietly removing content in recent months, including supernatural horror series Hemlock Grove, as it continues to add new movies and TV shows on a daily basis. 

Released in February 2012, Lilyhammer is considered Netflix's first ever original series, beating out more mainstream favorites House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black – which both premiered in 2013 – when it comes to the title. With all eight episodes of its first season dropping at once, it was considered groundbreaking at the time, though it earned mixed reviews, scoring 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

GamesRadar+ has reached out to Netflix comment regarding Lilyhammer's removal.

Starring Steven Van Zandt, it follows former New York City gangster Frank 'The Fixer' Tagliano, as he tries to build a new quiet life for himself in the titular Norwegian town. Its name refers to Tagliano's dog Lily, who gets killed in the first episode during an assassination attempt on Frank, and is also a nod to the way Tagliano and some other English-speaking people pronounce the municipality's name. 

On 22 July 2015, Van Zandt announced on Twitter that the show had been cancelled, and Netflix confirmed it was pulling out the following day. Norwegian broadcaster NRK, who owns the rights to the series, did hope to make a deal with another company for a fourth season – but given that it's been seven years, that seems unlikely now.

His House, a Netflix original horror movie starring Loki's Wunmi Mosaku, Gangs of London's Sope Dirisu, and House of the Dragon's Matt Smith, is another title set to be removed from the streamer in the coming weeks. Others geared up to disappear include Schitt's Creek, Sinister, two two Bleach movies and the entirety of Naruto – though it's worth nothing that they are not Netflix Originals.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.