In wake of new revelations in the scandal embroiling its creator and star, “The Cosby Show” has become a pariah on television.
On Tuesday, cable channels Bounce TV and Centric Network dropped reruns of the series from their lineups. The move followed the release of court documents in which Bill Cosby admitted to acquiring Quaaludes to give to young women with whom he intended to have sex, and to having done so to at least one woman. Nearly 40 women have now come forward to say that Cosby sexually assaulted them.
TV Land dropped “The Cosby Show” reruns in November, as accusations against Cosby began to mount. But the series is still available to stream via Hulu and Amazon. Though Netflix has no deal in place to stream “The Cosby Show,” the series is still available through its old-school DVD-by-mail service.
No digital service has yet to announce plans to remove “The Cosby Show” from its library. And while the “Dukes of Hazzard” was recently dropped by TV Land amid the Confederate-flag controversy and “7th Heaven” was dumped by Pop in 2014 following star Stephen Collins‘ admission of sexually molesting children, both shows are available via Amazon, Hulu and Netflix DVD.
Brad Adgate, senior VP of research at Horizon Media, attributes the lack of movement by streaming services to the fact that “there is so much online content,” he told TheWrap. “The Cosby Show” he said, “probably hasn’t been front and center” for streaming services the way it has for broadcast networks.
Scale and choice are central to the streaming services’ business models. While broadcast and cable networks are responsible for programming 168 hours or fewer a week, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon offer tens of thousands of hours of content available to view on demand.
That on-demand element also differentiates streaming services from the cable networks that have dropped “The Cosby Show.” Selecting a show to watch on Hulu is an active decision by the customer. A cable viewer, however, could stumble across “The Cosby Show” while flipping through the channels–were any network to schedule it.
But the desire to shed ties with Cosby extends beyond linear television. This week, Walt Disney World removed a bust of actor from its Hollywood Studios theme park and it was revealed that CAA had dropped him as a client in November. Though streaming services have yet to feel significant pressure to dump Cosby’s signature creation, they still may.
“I think if there is attention drawn to them for still streaming these shows and it creates a backlash they will follow the cable networks lead,” Adgate said.
21 Buzziest Streaming Shows: From 'Marco Polo' to 'Transparent' (Photos)
The Amazon Studios original series "Transparent" chronicles the abnormal life of the Pfefferman family once it's revealed that father Mort is transgender. The groundbreaking series won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, and Jeffrey Tambor snagged the award for Best Actor in a Television Series for his portrayal of Mort-now-Maura Pfefferman.
Amazon
With Season 2 having premiered in Oct. 2014, Amazon's political comedy "Alpha House" stars John Goodman, Clark Johnson, Matt Molloy, and Mark Consuelos as Republican U.S. Senators living together in Washington, D.C.
Amazon
The first two seasons of Netflix's insanely popular "Orange is the New Black" are ready to binge-watch (if you haven't already), and it's third season will be released in June.
Netflix
Actor and musician Steve Van Zandt stars in "Lilyhammer," the American version of a Norwegian series of the same name. Centering on a New York mobster starting a new life in Norway, all three seasons are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Netflix
Netflix's first original cartoon series, "BoJack Horseman," is a delightfully politically incorrect comedy about a 90s sitcom star who has faded from the spotlight.
Netflix
Another Netflix original, "Hemlock Grove" is a dramatical thriller about a string of murders in the fictional town of Hemlock Grove, and the two men who investigate.
Netflix
"Marco Polo" is Netflix's historical drama about the explorer's early years in the court of Kublai Khan. The show stars Lorenzo Richelmy as Marco Polo and Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan.
Netflix
Netflix streaming gem "House of Cards," stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as South Carolina Democrat Frank Underwood and his wife, Claire, as they execute ruthless schemes for power in Washington, D.C. The third season is scheduled to premiere in February.
Netflix
Marvel's live-action series "Daredevil" stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, and follows the adventures of NYC lawyer Matt Murdock (Cox). Blinded as a child, his other senses are elevated to superhuman levels, allowing him to fight crime as masked vigilante Daredevil. The first season is available for streaming on April 10th.
Netflix
Krysten Ritter will star as Jessica Jones, the titular superheroine-turned-private detective in another Marvel and Netflix collaboration, "A.K.A. Jessica Jones." The series will air on Netflix in 2015, and will also star Mike Colter ("The Good Wife").
Netflix
The fourth and final season of the former AMC series, "The Killing," found a home on Netflix. The crime drama recently wrapped up its run with Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman in their lead roles as homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
Netflix
"Arrested Development" got a reboot for a fourth and final season on Netflix. Die-hard fans of the show argued over the success of the streamed season, but we still saw all original cast members return to reprise their quirky, dysfunctional roles in the Bluth family.
Netflix
The creepy crime drama, "The Fall," originally a BBC series, premieres its second season Jan. 16th on Netflix. Set in Northern Ireland, the show follows detective Stella Gibson and her pursuit of serial killer Paul Spector, played by Jamie Dornan ("Fifty Shades of Grey").
Netflix
Netflix continues its love of historical crime dramas with "Peaky Blinders." Set in 1919 post-WWI England, the crime saga follows a gang as they operate out of Birmingham, led by mob boss Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy).
Netflix
Cult favorite and former NBC comedy "Community" was brought from the brink of cancelation by none other than Yahoo. Its sixth season will be available for streaming March 17th, and will add Paget Brewster ("Criminal Minds") to its main cast.
NBC
"Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," the brainchild of Jerry Seinfeld, premiered on Crackle in 2012. Seinfeld has let us in on chats with Louis C.K., Jimmy Fallon, Larry David, and many others.
Crackle
Created by "Late Night" host Seth Meyers and streamed on Hulu, offbeat superhero comedy "The Awesomes" follows Prock (voiced by Meyers) the son of Mr. Awesome, the greatest superhero on earth. When Mr. Awesome retires, Prock gathers his own team of sub-par heroes, and hilarity ensues.
Hulu
Hulu original comedy "The Hotwives of Orlando" blatantly spoofs the "Real Housewives" franchise. It stars Casey Wilson, Kristen Schaal, Angela Kinsey, Danielle Schneider, Tymberlee Hill and Andrea Savage as wealthy housewives in Orlando, Florida. The second season will premiere sometime in 2015 and follow a new group of women living in Las Vegas.
Hulu
Another Hulu original, "Quickdraw" tells the tale of Sheriff John Henry Hoyle, a recent Harvard graduate, and Deputy Eli as they blunder through Wild West crime in 1870s Kansas.
Hulu
Hulu's drama series "East Los High" chronicles the coming-of-age of a high school group in East L.A. The series marks Hulu's first with an all Latino cast, starring Alicia Sixtos (ABC Family's "The Fosters") and Vannessa Vasquez. The show was renewed for a third season.
Hulu
Continuing with the rise of original YouTube content, "Video Game High School" is a futuristic action comedy that follows BrianD (Josh Baylock), a newly admitted student to VGHS as he navigates the world of competitive gaming making friends and enemies along the way.
YouTube
1 of 21
Online streaming sites are more popular than ever now that they’re creating original, knockout shows; here are TheWrap’s top picks
The Amazon Studios original series "Transparent" chronicles the abnormal life of the Pfefferman family once it's revealed that father Mort is transgender. The groundbreaking series won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, and Jeffrey Tambor snagged the award for Best Actor in a Television Series for his portrayal of Mort-now-Maura Pfefferman.
Amazon
Amazon
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
Netflix
NBC
Crackle
Hulu
Hulu
Hulu
Hulu
YouTube
