Why You Can’t Watch Classic NBC Sitcoms ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ on NBCU’s Peacock
NBC’s past glory is now competition for its new streaming service
Tim Baysinger | July 15, 2020 @ 11:35 AM
Last Updated: July 15, 2020 @ 11:44 AM
Warner Bros/Sony TV
NBCUniversal’s Peacock features numerous fan favorite NBC sitcoms like “30 Rock,” “Cheers,” “Frasier” and, eventually, “The Office.” But two of its “Must See” shows are noticeably absent from its slate of streamed offerings–“Friends” and Seinfeld,” both of which are on available on competing platforms.
That’s because, while most viewers would think of those two 90’s-era sitcoms as NBC shows, they are actually owned by someone else. Once “Friends” and “Seinfeld” left NBC’s airwaves, they were no longer the network’s property.
“Friends” was produced by Warner Bros. TV and thus owned by WarnerMedia, which just so happens to have its own streaming service, HBO Max. While WarnerMedia paid a pretty penny to get “Friends” exclusive for HBO Max (it had aired been streaming in Netflix), WarnerMedia’s parent company AT&T had been pretty much signaled they were going keep the popular sitcom for itself. They just had to make sure that all profit participants, including the show’s creator and cast, would get their fair share on the open market.
“Seinfeld” was owned jointly by Castle Rock Entertainment — which counts Warner Bros. as its parent company — and the show’s creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. Sony Pictures Television has distribution rights, meaning it’s Sony and David/Seinfeld, rather than Warner Bros., who gets to decide where the show ended up. It will move from Hulu to Netflix next year in a massive deal worth more than $500 million.
Shows like “30 Rock,” “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” are owned by Universal Television, which gave them a much clearer pathway to Peacock. But even then, it forced NBCU to amend some existing licensing contracts to get those shows onto its service. For example, “30 Rock” will still be available on Hulu until October, while “The Office” won’t come to Peacock until next year, after its Netflix deal expires.
For similarly-aged shows like “Frasier” and “Cheers,” NBCUniversal was able to reach an agreement with ViacomCBS, who handle its distribution. “Frasier” had been available on CBS All Access, given CBS’ ownership of the show, while “Cheers” had been running on Netflix but will leave for Peacock this month. NBCUniversal also signed big licensing agreements with ViacomCBS and A+E Networks to bolster its library offerings.
Over the last decade, giant media conglomerates have been commissioning more TV series from in-house studios, which is why you’ll now find most of NBC’s primetime lineup coming out of Universal Television. While second runs for broadcast TV series are nothing new — broadcast and cable syndication have long been a money-making enterprise for studios — the advent of streaming, with its unlimited shelf space, opened up a massive new revenue stream.
It makes more sense for broadcast networks to prioritize their in-house operations when deciding which new shows to pick up in order to help their parent company cash in down the road.
'30 Rock,' 'Scrubs' and Other TV Shows and Movies Pulled Over Blackface and Racial Insensitivity (Photos)
The May 25 killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police prompted protests over police brutality and racial injustice across the country — leading many networks and streaming services to reconsider programming. Here are some movies and TV shows that have been canceled or shelved (sometimes temporarily).
"COPS"
In the wake of protests over police brutality following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the Paramount Network canceled the long-running reality show "COPS" one week ahead of premiering its 33rd season. The show, which ran on Fox for 25 years, jumped to Paramount Network (then called Spike TV) in 2013.
Paramount Network
"Gone With the Wind"
HBO Max quietly pulled the Oscar-winning 1939 movie, which has long been criticized for racist depictions of black people for for glorifying the Civl War-era south, from the weeks-old streaming service. In a statement on June 9, the company explained that the "ethnic and racial prejudices" depicted in the film "were wrong then and are wrong today." The company reintroduced the film with a video introduction noting “the film’s treatment of this world through a lens of nostalgia denies the horrors of slavery, as well as its legacy of racial inequality."
WarnerMedia
"Live PD"
On June 10, A&E abruptly canceled the Dan Abrams-hosted reality show "Live PD" that had been its top-rated series. The decision came amid ongoing protests over police brutality but also followed producers' admission they had destroyed footage of a 40-year-old Texas man who died in police custody after being tased while begging for his life.
A&E
Chris Lilley's “Summer Heights High,” “Angry Boys,” “We Can Be Heroes” and “Jonah From Tonga”
Four comedies from Australian comic Chris Lilley were pulled from Netflix in New Zealand and Australia due to criticisms of the shows’ depictions of people of color and the use of blackface and brownface makeup by Lilley, who is white, and others on the shows. Lilley uses blackface to play black rapper S.mouse in “Angry Boys” and brownface to play Jonah, a teenage Tonga native, in “Summer Heights High” and its spinoff series “Jonah From Tonga.” In “We Can Be Heroes,” he plays Ricky Wong, a Chinese physics student.
Australian Broadcast Company
"Little Britain"
The BBC sketch comedy show, which aired from 2003-05 and featured David Walliams and Matt Lucas playing a range of often stereotypical characters (sometimes in blackface) was pulled from most U.K. streaming services in early June, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer and BritBox.
BBC
"Fawlty Towers"
The BBC removed a 1975 episode of the classic John Cleese sitcom that included a number of racial epithets, including the N-word, from its UKTV streaming service. After lobbying from Cleese and others, the network announced it would reinstate the episode with "extra guidance and warnings ... to highlight potentially offensive content."
BBC
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
On June 11, Netflix pulled a sixth-season episode of the long-running sitcom from its service in the U.K. over the depiction of two characters wearing blackface. (The series streams on Hulu in the U.S.)
"W/ Bob and David"
On June 16, Netflix pulled an episode of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross’ sketch comedy series “W/ Bob and David” over a sketch that features Cross in blackface. Cross and Odenkirk have since defended the sketch.
Netflix
"The Mighty Boosh" and "The League of Gentleman"
These English comedies were pulled from Netflix in the UK over scenes involving blackface. They were not previously available in the U.S.
A scene from "The Mighty Boosh" via YouTube
"30 Rock"
Co-creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, along with NBCUniversal, requested the removal of four episodes containing blackface and other racially insensitive material.
Hulu removed three episodes of the sitcom “Scrubs” which featured blackface at the request of the show’s producers and ABC Studios. Series creator Bill Lawrence had previously tweeted that an effort to remove offensive episodes of the show was in the works.
In late June, Netflix pulled the “Community” Season 2 episode “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons,” which features Ken Jeong’s character, Ben Chang, wearing blackface during a game of “Dungeons & Dragons."
NBC
"Golden Girls"
Hulu pulled a third-season episode of the classic sitcom in which Rue McClanahan and Betty White's characters are mistaken for wearing blackface when they are actually wearing mud masks.
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New times call for a new look at what we should watch and stream
The May 25 killing of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police prompted protests over police brutality and racial injustice across the country — leading many networks and streaming services to reconsider programming. Here are some movies and TV shows that have been canceled or shelved (sometimes temporarily).