Paramount Plus might be years away from giving Netflix any competition in terms of subscribers, but, for the time being, it has dethroned the latter in a way that is dominating heated debates.
Yesterday, Paramount Plus joined scores of other streamers and channels in giving beloved shows the boot and canceled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, The Game, and Queen of the Universe. But what added insult to injury was the announcement that all these shows would be completely removed from the platform as well, which means they won’t be available anywhere they can be legally watched.
Disney Plus pulled a similar move a few weeks ago where it removed original shows followed by deleting a Marvel series from its library without prior notice. But while the streamer only recently faced backlash for chopping the LGBTQ+ show Willow, Netflix has been facing this particular ire for quite some time now as it keeps axing series with queer representation — Warrior Nun, Uncoupled, The Society, First Kill, Fate: the Winx Saga, etc.
But Paramount’s decision to cancel Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and Queen of the Universe is serving as a reminder that Netflix is marginally better as it at least didn’t remove the canceled shows from its library. While Queen of the Universe, a drag queen competition series, has its fair number of followers, it is Rise of the Pink Ladies getting bumped that has sparked the most anger.
Rise of the Pink Ladies concluded airing the last episode of its first season on June 1, 2023 and was canceled within the same month i.e., Pride Month.
Paramount Plus has often been lauded for being the hope for LGBTQ+ shows. For many, the cancelation is proof that nothing is safe anymore.
Fans of the show aren’t the only ones heartbroken by the show’s exit from Paramount Plus, as series creator Annabel Oakes took to her Instagram Stories to call out the “particularly brutal move” as the show is not only canceled but will also be removed from the streamer, leaving everyone associated with the show “devastated at the complete erasure of our show.”