Chewing Gum – Picture: Channel 4
British comedy series Chewing Gum that stars Michaela Coel is set to leave Netflix in multiple regions including the United States in April 2020. Here’s when and why it’s leaving.
Through the 12 episodes which premiered in 2015 and ended in 2017, we follow Tracey a 24-year-old shop assistant. She’s a religious virgin who is now desperate to have sex and explore the world.
Among the regions set to currently lose Chewing Gum include Australia, Brazil, the United States, Thailand, Russia, most of Europe, Turkey, Asia, and Latin America.
Both seasons 1 and 2 will be departing Netflix on April 4th, 2020. That’s exactly four years since the series was added back in 2016 for most regions.
The series never made its way onto Netflix in the United Kingdom. There it resides on Channel 4’s 4OD platform.
Why is Chewing Gum being removed from Netflix?
As Chewing Gum carries the Netflix Original branding, you’d have thought there wouldn’t be any chance that it’s going to leave Netflix.
That’s sadly not the case as Netflix was simply the initial international platform for the series. It falls into the distribution only portion of the Netflix Original library.
Where will Chewing Gum stream after it leaves Netflix?
This is unclear and of course, assumes that Netflix is unable to renew the streaming rights. The license for the show belongs to Freemantle who will decide where the show heads after it departs.
We’ve reached out to Freemantle Media and if we get a response, we’ll update here.
For International Women’s Day, Netflix actually gave a nod to Chewing Gum as it was Mindy Kaling’s pick for the best female-led title that’s streaming on Netflix.
Mindy Kaling, Chewing Gum
"One the most original comedy series of all time. Michaela Coel is hilarious and touching as a young, sheltered woman who longs for passion and adventure. It's wonderful to see such a talented young woman of color create her own show." pic.twitter.com/4htbgvkQp3— Netflix US (@netflix) March 8, 2020
As always with removals, it’s important to note that circumstances can change and removal dates reversed. However, given we’ve seen lots of British content leave that are Originals, we suspect it’s going to be final.
Will you miss Chewing Gum if it leaves Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
