I just so happen to be an avid Netflix watcher, and like many, I have favorites that I always go back to. It’s the one common thing that plays a huge role in taking up a sizable chunk of our time all across the board.

We’re incredibly engaged in media of all forms nowadays. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to convince you to put the screen down, although you may pretty soon without much persuasion.

In the upcoming year, Netflix plans to remove a plethora of our favorite TV shows from their streaming platform. This list includes shows such as The Office, Criminal Minds, That 70’s Show, Gossip Girl, Parks and Recreation, and Grey’s Anatomy. While I am aware there is some form of the reasoning behind the removal of certain media due to unrenewed contracts and multiple networks setting out to create their own streaming service, I can’t help but wonder what could they possibly be thinking letting such a huge portion of their most popular shows get removed.

One show that made me feel particularly mournful about its tragic impending removal is The Office. This show is a well-known comedy that is loved by many. The iconic mockumentary style of the show is the source of many authentic and incomparable laughs on my part. In a study compiled by Nielsen for the Wall Street Journal, they concluded that in just one year the show accounted for 45.8 billion minutes of viewing time, while another extremely popular show on Netflix, Stranger Things, racked up just about 27.6 billion minutes of engagement.

Although there are many shows set to be leaving Netflix in the near future, they haven’t stopped creating new original content for their streaming platform. A new series called Ratched, which stars the talented Sarah Paulson, is a prequel to the infamous One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest set to be released on September 18th of 2020. Netflix also has a new movie called Enola.

Holmes, starring the well-known Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock Holmes’s supposed kid sister, is expected to arrive on the viewing platform on September 23 of this year. Bearing in mind that Netflix has a $157 billion dollar net worth, I would expect more of an effort to keep some of its quality content available.

Netflix’s most comparable counterpart, Hulu, their company only has a net worth of around $15 billion. The difference between the two is astounding and truly puts into perspective how much power Netflix has and how much they are wasting.

Losing the widely adored show Friends was also a major setback for Netflix, considering it was one of their most viewed shows among The Office and Grey’s Anatomy. This makes you ponder what lies ahead for Netflix. Many shows that were treasured by a substantial population are now being taken down.

Will people be willing to stay loyal to Netflix after these shows get taken down for good? I hope you take into consideration the major losses coming in the near future for Netflix and reflect on whether your subscription is truly worth it.