Netflix isn’t losing just The Office and Friends in the near future, as another beloved, insanely rewatchable sitcom is also poised to depart the streaming service. NBCUniversal announced its initial lineup for its streaming service Peacock today, and among the titles listed was Parks and Recreation, denoted as an exclusive. Indeed, THR confirms that the terrific NBC sitcom will exit Netflix and other streamers (including Hulu) in October 2020 and will set up shop exclusively at Peacock.
Unlike Netflix’s exclusive deal for The Office, the license for Parks and Recreation was non-exclusive—which is why it’s currently available to stream on both Netflix and Hulu. But that license will be up next year, at which point Parks and Recreation will move exclusively to Peacock.
The NBC comedy was originally created as a spinoff of The Office, with The Office alums Greg Daniels and Michael Schur serving as its creators. But it quickly morphed into its own show under the stewardship of Schur, albeit carrying a format similar to The Office. While Parks and Rec got off to a slow start in 2009, it built a loyal fanbase as its quality increased exponentially starting in Season 2, and wrapped up with a tremendous series finale in 2015.
It’s unclear exactly when Parks and Rec will depart Netflix, but THR says it’ll be available on Peacock starting in October 2020. It joins a pretty robust library of titles that will call Peacock home, including Friday Night Lights, Cheers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Frasier. While some of these shows are available on other streaming services as part of non-exclusive licenses, NBCUniversal said Tuesday that it aims to make them exclusive to Peacock in the coming years as those licenses expire.
So get to watchin' Parks and Rec while you can on Netflix, or plan on signing up for Peacock. Or—my personal suggestion—treat yo self to the DVD box set, so you own the content forever.
In the meantime, look back on the brilliance that is Parks and Recreation with our ranking of the show’s Top 50 episodes.
