Entertainment
Netflix’s Forgotten 3-Part Horror Series Proves Its Staying Power by Quietly Climbing Another Streamer
Netflix plans to launch over 700 original series in 2026 alone, but there was a time in the not-too-distant past when that number was much, much smaller. Like, small enough to count on one hand. Back in 2013, the streaming giant debuted three flagship series: the infamous House of Cards, the award-winning Orange Is the New Black, and another series you might not even remember. It’s called Hemlock Grove, and you won’t even be able to find it on Netflix today, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a hit on another streamer.
If you’ve never heard of it, Hemlock Grove is a bizarre, bloody horror series that combines werewolves, vampires, conspiracy theories, and gothic melodrama into one seriously mixed bag. After Netflix removed all three seasons in 2022, the series found a new home on PVOD. It’s now available to buy through the Apple TV Store, where it’s actually done pretty well for itself. It’s an unexpected fate for one of Netflix’s first original shows ever… not to mention an evergreen reminder that, in the streaming era, being an “Original” doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always be safe from the chopping block.
‘Hemlock Grove’ Helped Define Netflix Originals
Set in the fictional Pennsylvania town of Hemlock Grove, the story begins after two teenage girls are brutally murdered. Suspicion quickly falls on Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron), a mysterious outsider rumored to be a werewolf. Peter unexpectedly allies with Roman Godfrey (Bill Skarsgård), the troubled heir to the town’s wealthiest family, with supernatural secrets of his own. Together, they investigate the killings while navigating a town filled with hidden monsters, unethical scientific experiments, and increasingly disturbing family secrets.
The show was adapted from Brian McGreevy‘s 2012 novel and executive produced by horror filmmaker Eli Roth. What made it stand apart from other horror television of the time wasn’t necessarily originality — its DNA pretty shamelessly borrowed from gothic fiction, creature features, teen dramas, and mystery thrillers in one — but rather its willingness to embrace all of those influences simultaneously. One episode might focus on gruesome body horror, while the next leaned into family dysfunction, occult mythology, or psychological mystery. The result was often uneven, but rarely boring.
Premiering on April 19, 2013 — post-House of Cards but pre-Orange Is the New Black — Hemlock Grove arrived at a groundbreaking moment in TV history. Netflix still had a long way to go to prove that original streaming programming could compete with traditional cable and broadcast television. It clearly believed in the project early on, and for good reason: It actually drew more viewers during its opening weekend than House of Cards did, at least during that first season. The service even gave Hemlock Grove a second season just a couple of months after its premiere. Alas, a third and final season came the year after that. It was only a matter of time until Netflix’s support for the series ebbed as other originals surged.
‘Hemlock Grove’s Disappearance From Netflix Says a Lot About Streaming Today
Critics didn’t love Hemlock Grove, with some calling it one of the worst horror TV shows ever, but that didn’t stop it from building a devoted cult following during its relatively short run. Fans embraced its dreamlike atmosphere, its unapologetic gore, and its willingness to swing for the fences creatively… even when those swings occasionally missed. Horror is a genre that rewards excess, and Hemlock Grove certainly had an abundance of it.
Seven years after its final season, Netflix announced that all three seasons would leave the service in October 2022. Streaming rights were later acquired by FilmRise, and today the show lives on through the Apple TV Store instead of its original home. There, it’s gone on to become one of the most-watched shows on the platform. As studios continue licensing, removing, and reshuffling content across competing platforms, don’t be surprised to see more of this happening. Audiences have seemed to pick up on the fact that digital exclusivity doesn’t mean true exclusivity at all. If you don’t have a subscription to this platform or that, just wait a little bit for it to show up somewhere else — “original” or otherwise.
- Release Date
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2013 – 2015-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
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