There were four shows canceled at Paramount+ and are set to be removed from the streaming service entirely.
Why are these shows being removed from Paramount+?
A report from The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, Queen of the Universe and The Game have been canceled and will be pulled from the platform next week.
“The Paramount+ series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, Queen of the Universe and The Game have completed their runs on Paramount+ and will not be returning to service,” a Paramount+ spokesman said in a statement. “We would like to thank our exceedingly talented cast and crew, as well as our producing partners, for their passion and dedication to these programs, and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”
The reason for the removal is tax write-offs, as Paramount joins Disney+ and HBO in the practice of removing underperforming series from their streaming services for tax reasons.
“In the unified Paramount+ with Showtime schedule, Showtime’s portfolio of quirky, critically acclaimed programming will complement the broad and popular Paramount+ library in a seamless offering that engages everyone, enables more discovery across brands and increases overall viewership.” , a Paramount+ spokesman said in a statement to the outlet. “As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the US, we are refining our content offering to provide subscribers with the best streaming experience.
“This aligns with our content strategy since inception and across our organization, which ensures we make smart and efficient decisions based on audience data and insights. We’re removing select programs to optimize Showtime’s extensive selection of premium originals.”