One of my favorite TV series at the moment is Designated Survivor. But, whenever I stream an episode on Netflix it says “Netflix Original,” when I know for sure that Designated Survivor is an original ABC tv series.
I know lots of people ask themselves the same question. How come Netflix call TV series “their own” and call them Netflix Original content, when the content isn’t produced by Netflix. Designated Survivor is just one example of such a TV series, but other TV series share the same destiny. Here are some of them:
- Cuckoo (BBC series)
- Better Call Saul (AMC series)
- Nobel (NRK series)
- Retribution (BBC series)
- Star Trek: Discovery (CBS)
These are just some examples of TV series that were produced by other companies but are presented like Netflix original material on Netflix. What is the thing about them? How come Netflix call them original Netflix material?
Why does Netflix call these and other shows original material when it clearly isn’t?
In these situations, Netflix has bought the rights to broadcast the given TV series in a given nation. If you watch Cuckoo (a BBC series) on Netflix in Norway, you will get the Netflix Original message as you start the TV series, because Netflix has the rights to broadcast the series in Norway. But, if you travel to England, you might stream Cuckoo on Netflix, but you will no longer see the “Netflix Original content” anymore because BBC has the rights to air the TV series in England.
Which TV series truly carry the name Netflix original?
There are, however, lots of TV series carrying the name “Netflix original” and truly deserves the title. Here are some of the most popular Netflix original productions, which had their production commissioned by Netflix in the first place.
- House of Cards
- Hemlock Grove
- Narcos
- Stranger Things
- The Crown
- Gypsy
- Mindhunter
- Altered Carbon
- Sense8
- Marco Polo
- and lots of others….
Why doesn’t Netflix and all the others do the right thing and call the shows that they bought the rights to broadcast ” ‘fill in the blank’ exclusive”?