Netflix Update: What's Leaving in February 2015

It's time to take stock of what's coming off of Netflix's streaming services at the end of January and what's going to stay.  I have to say, though, these last couple of week's have been some of the tensest in terms of what was going to get the axe, and the end results were just as surprising.

For those of you who were paying attention earlier in the month, Doctor Who - and other BBC favorites - were all set to leave Netflix on February 1st.  Fans of the BBC are likely to have mixed feelings when it comes to the pyrrhic victory they've received.  Doctor Who (both the older and the newer episodes), House of Cards, Luther, The Office and North & South are all staying (which is good).  Black Adder, MI-5, Red Dwarf and Fawlty Towers (remade in the US as 2 Broke Girls) are all leaving, howver (which is bad).

Red Dwarf's following, although not as omnipresent as Doctor Who's, is just as intensely passioned.  The classic science fiction show has an incredibly energized cult following that's likely to stagnate with the series' now lessened exposure in the US.  The other big exclusion is Black Adder: the classic era-spanning comedy which stars a pre-Mr. Bean Rowan Atkinson and a pre-House Hugh Laurie.  It's as intelligent, fun and all-around hilarious tv series as I have ever found and, along with the long defunct Black Books, will join the ranks of the best television shows ever pulled from Netflix.

More British productions will follow their ranks.  A huge swath of Bond films will also be disappearing in February, including A View to a Kill, For Your Eyes Only, Live and Let Die, Never Say Never Again, From Russia with Love and Goldfinger.  These easily rank among the best of the franchise's lengthy history.  Anybody who has not seen these six films - particularly Goldfinger and From Russia with Love - and can stomach spy films absolutely owes it to themselves to check these out before they disappear next week.

You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that Apocalypse Now and Apocalypse Now Redux were being pulled from Netflix next month, since they were scheduled to be terminated back at the end of October.  I guess that Doctor Who isn't the only thing to be saved by a last minute surge of fan outrage.  I will say now what I said back then: Apocalypse Now is easily one of my favorite movies and one that most people have (and will) enjoy - featuring great performances by Harrison Ford, Martin Sheen and Marlon Brando and a tightly-rendered script that marries Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness with the insanity of the Vietnam War.  It's one that you cannot go wrong with making time for between now and Sunday.

Horror fans would be remiss to pass up one last chance to check out Wes Craven's criminally underrated Wshmaster, while crime fans would be equally derelict in not taking advantage of the time remaining to David Fincher's Zodiac.  Bronies and Pegasisters also have just enough time to binge watch the first four seasons of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.  M*A*S*H, Mad Max, Airheads and three of the original four Batman movies are all set to disappear in February as well.

Netflix has a lot of ground to make up in February if it hopes to fill the gap left by these series and films.  Doctor Who and House of Cards sticking around is a good start, but only a start.  Whether or not they can finish the job remains to be seen.

Leaving Feb. 1st

• Blackadder: Seasons 1­-4
• A View to a Kill
• Airheads
• Apocalypse Now
• Apocalypse Now Redux
• Babes in Toyland
• Batman & Robin
• Batman Forever
• Batman Returns
• Cocoon: The Return
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Down Periscope
• Fawlty Towers: Seasons 1­-2
• For Your Eyes Only
• From Russia with Love
• Goldfinger
• Hotel Babylon: Seasons 1­-4
• Jane Eyre
• Live and Let Die
• Mad Max
• MASH
• MI­5: Seasons 1­-10
• Nacho Libre
• Never Say Never Again
• Red Dwarf: Seasons 1-­9
• Revenge
• School Daze
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie
• The Juror
• Wishmaster
• Zodiac

Leaving Feb. 2nd

• Jem and the Holograms: S1­-3
• My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: S1-­4
• Pound Puppies: S1-­3
• Transformers Prime: S1-3
• Transformers: Rescue Bots

Leaving Feb. 5th

• Arbitrage

Leaving Feb. 23rd

• Dredd

Leaving Feb. 28th

• Ali
• Monkey Trouble
• Panic Room

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