Well, this is just depressing. It was reported last week that Disney would start removing content from their streaming services, and the first casualties have been revealed. The dozens of TV shows and specials from Disney+ and Hulu that will be removed on May 26th include Willow, Big Shot, Y: The Last Man, and many more. Considering that Willow premiered on Disney+ less than a year ago… it hurts.
Here is a list of a few of the titles that are being removed:
It’s said that some of the shows could be made available elsewhere as we saw when Warner Bros. Discovery removed content from HBO Max, but I’d imagine that won’t be true with every title. I get that it’s just business, but when so many streaming titles never see a release on physical media, removing it from a service is a tough blow for fans.
Y: The Last Man showrunner Eliza Clark addressed the depressing news on Twitter. “Well, you work on something for years, pour your heart and soul into it, as do hundreds of other artists,” Clark wrote. “You make it during a global pandemic, far from home. Then it is canceled before it even has a chance to finish airing. Then, it is disappeared…“
Willow was clearly being set up to include at least two more seasons, and showrunner Jon Kasdan even recently set the record straight on the show’s supposed cancellation. He referred to it more as a hiatus and expressed his excitement about returning for more. He’d already written the second season of Willow with “the enthusiastic and unwavering support of Lucasfilm and Disney,” which he hopes will be “brain-meltingly fun, richer, darker, and better.” Now that Willow is set to be removed from Disney+ next week… it certainly doesn’t bode well for a second season.