Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Showtime viewers complain as multiple series culled from streaming service

‘Kidding’ and ‘On Becoming a God in Central Florida’ are also among the removals

Louis Chilton
Tuesday 31 January 2023 10:14 GMT
Comments
American Gigolo trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Showtime viewers have complained after a number of series were reportedly pulled from the US network’s streaming platform.

On Monday (30 January), it was also announced that Showtime was being integrated into Paramount’s main brand, and will be known going forward as Paramount+ With Showtime.

Among the original series to have been removed from the streaming service, per The Hollywood Reporter, are crime series American Gigolo, vampire drama Let the Right one In, and Kidding, starring Jim Carrey.

On Becoming a God in Central Florida and American Rust were also taken down from Showtime’s catalogue.

Showtime has seemingly become the latest platform to take advantage of the tax write-downs available for shows that have been removed from their catalogue.

Companies such as HBO Max have faced criticism from fans and creators for removing underperforming films and TV shows from their streaming catalogues, in order to maximise tax benefits.

Showtime will also be able to sell on the rights to the shows to third-party buyers.

The news constitutes a double blow for fans of American Gigolo and Let the Right One In, with an announcement also coming on Monday that both series had been cancelled.

Jim Carrey in ‘Kidding'
Jim Carrey in ‘Kidding' (Nicole Wilder/SHOWTIME)

Fans vented their frustration with the series removals on social media.

“Holy frick, absolutely f the streaming era,” one person wrote. “Holy shizzle. At this point just about every company is doing this.”

“Okay I might be the only person who loved Kidding as much as I did but it ran for two seasons and what the f***,” wrote someone else.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

“This makes me sad. Kidding and OBAGICF are some of the best shows of the past few years. I hope they both find a new streaming home,” one person wrote, while another simply put: “Bad, bad, bad.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in