Netflix subscribers in the UK are set for a significant shake-up in the new year, with the streaming giant confirming the removal of two of its most popular and re-watched titles. The beloved sitcom Friends and the entire Harry Potter film franchise will be scrubbed from the service in January 2026.
Why Are These Major Shows Leaving?
The departure of these flagship titles is due to the expiration of licensing agreements. Friends, which has been a cornerstone of Netflix UK's comedy offering since its arrival in 2018, will exit the platform. Its removal is timed with the broader European rollout of Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service, HBO Max.
HBO Max, which will be the new home for all Warner Bros. film and TV content, is scheduled to launch in the UK in March 2026. This strategic move will see both Friends and the Harry Potter series migrate to the new platform, consolidating Warner's major intellectual property under one roof.
A Wave of January Departures
The loss of Friends and Harry Potter is just the tip of the iceberg for Netflix UK's January 2026 content purge. A vast array of films and television series are scheduled for removal throughout the month, representing one of the service's largest-ever single-month content losses.
The exodus begins on New Year's Day, with titles like Bridesmaids, Captain Phillips, and Crazy Rich Asians departing for US subscribers, while UK viewers will say goodbye to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and others. The list of major films leaving is extensive and includes box office hits and critical darlings alike.
Other notable removals for UK subscribers include:
- The entire Fantastic Beasts series (1st January)
- Paddington and Paddington 2 (1st January)
- Oppenheimer (12th January)
- The Wolf of Wall Street (15th January)
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (16th January)
- Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (7th January)
On the television side, the popular US sitcom The Big Bang Theory will also leave on 1st January, alongside other series like Lost, Rick and Morty, and the acclaimed drama Mad Men, which departs on 2nd January.
What This Means for UK Streamers
This mass removal underscores the increasingly fragmented and competitive nature of the UK streaming landscape. As media companies reclaim their content for their own direct-to-consumer platforms, subscribers are faced with a difficult choice: subscribe to multiple services to access their favourite shows or miss out.
The arrival of HBO Max in the UK market in March 2026 will provide a new home for the departing Warner Bros. content, but it will come at an additional monthly cost for consumers. For fans of comfort-viewing staples like Friends, which consistently ranks as one of Netflix's most re-watched titles, this change will be particularly felt.
The full list of removals, compiled with data from What's on Netflix, serves as a stark reminder that in the world of digital streaming, no show is permanently available. Subscribers are advised to check their watchlists and finish any beloved series before the licenses expire.
