Disney+ Series Writer Reacts To Disney Deleting Shows From Streaming

When one of your favorite shows is canceled, it usually comes with some sort of announcement or at least rumblings about the fate of the show. Other times, it comes out of nowhere and fans are caught completely off-guard, but a trend now is to keep even the writers and creators in the dark until it's simply no longer available on streaming services. Is this the future going forward with programs and original movies?

During a May 10 earnings call, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy announced that it would be "removing certain content from streaming platforms." The company, which has been undergoing massive and almost controversial layoffs, disclosed in a securities filing it would take a $1.5 billion write-off from the axed shows. The only thing saved from the mass deletion is Howard, the Howard Ashman documentary--at least for now.

More content is expected to disappear in the third quarter. "It's part of this overall mindset of the value of art and creativity that like, 'Wow, you spent all this time on this, then you at least deserve a phone call,'" Eliza Skinner told The Hollywood Reporter. Skinner had her show Earth to Ned unceremoniously deleted from Disney+. The writer has been picketing with fellow WGA members during the current strike, which is, in part, about residuals from streaming.

Just the sampling of shows pulled May 26 from Disney+ and Hulu were the likes of Y: The Last Man, Dollface, and the adaptation of the book series The Mysterious Benedict Society. There was also the Willow series, Mighty Ducks, and Turner and Hooch. Also gone with no physical release are Kenneth Branagh's Artemis Fowl, which at one point Disney had aimed to rival the Harry Potter series, and last year's Cheaper by the Dozen remake with Zack Braff and Gabrielle Union.

"You at least deserve to understand a little bit what's happening with your work. But it's a whole climate of devaluing," Skinner added.

Disney is far from the only culprit here as HBO dumped almost 40 shows last August, some of which fans can no longer find online or in physical media.