Top 10 TV Shows You Can't Watch Anymore
#10: “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” (2021-22)
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You may be surprised to find so many newer shows on this list, but the streaming game isn’t exactly bereft of TV casualties. “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” was a well-received television reboot of the classic Disney movie series, and it even featured Emilio Estevez reprising his original role. However, May of 2023 saw Disney + purge a lot of its content from the service, even programs with this aforementioned fanbase. Since “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” doesn’t possess any physical media to its name, this mallard has gone the way of the dodo.
#9: “The New Leave It to Beaver” [aka “Still the Beaver”] (1983-89)
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We can hear you snickering over there in the back, stop it. This reboot of the original “Leave It to Beaver” was actually a modest success back in the early days of the Disney Channel. It started with a TV movie titled “Still the Beaver,” which was later adapted as a pilot for a new sequel. There may not exactly be a huge demand for unironic re-tread of established ’50s tropes, but “The New Leave It to Beaver” took steps to modernize itself, making June Cleaver a widow and presenting (ahem) “Beaver” as a divorcee. Watching the entirety of it today proves difficult, however, as the show isn’t streaming apart from some YouTube rips, and physical media copies of “Beaver” seem nowhere in sight.
#8: “Hidden America with Jonah Ray” (2016-17)
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Many promising streaming services come and go, and a lot of that content becomes lost, as a result. “Hidden America with Jonay Ray” was one such casualty, a program on the Seeso streaming service that was formerly offered through Comcast via NBCUniversal. The show was a tourism show that was largely funny and parodic, while still making plenty of time for serious discussions and informative insight. Host Jonah Ray would find success as the new host of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” on Netflix, but the dissolution of Seeso effectively meant that “Hidden America with Jonah Ray” would be lost to the seas of time… or at least random YouTube clips.
#7: “Ed” (2000-04)
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It seems as if nearly every sitcom that aired during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and into the ‘90s received at least some sort of home video or box set release. This wasn’t always the case with millennial sitcoms, however, as evidenced by the frustrating lack of “Ed” in the physical media and streaming worlds. The show built up an audience and ran for four seasons… yet the television landscape acts as if it didn’t exist. There isn’t even a “Complete First Season” of “Ed” on DVD. And any hopes for streaming should be dashed as soon as you’ve finished typing “d” into a search bar. Nope, “Ed” is nowhere to be found, and we’re not okay with it.
#6: “Prop Culture” (2020)
One might think that a show celebrating all of Disney’s storied history would be a mainstay on their streaming platform, right? Wrong. “Prop Culture” was a wonderful program that documented the legacy of props and other items of memorabilia from Disney’s enviable back catalog of films. The show even managed to bring a retired Rick Moranis back in front of the camera for an interview, which felt huge and promised more great things for the series. Unfortunately (and we think you know where we’re going with this), “Prop Culture” also fell victim to our aforementioned Disney + purge. It and other well-regarded shows like “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” disappeared without a trace.
#5: “Ferris Bueller” (1990)
The next show on our list, unlike some other examples so far discussed, is fairly obscure. As a result, it sort of makes sense why this short-lived adaptation of the hit ‘80s flick “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” would be hard to find today. It only ran for a single season, doesn’t possess a rabid cult following, and didn’t seem to have any network support to back up its premise. In other words, “Ferris Bueller” 1990 felt doomed from the start. However, the show did feature an unknown Jennifer Aniston amongst the cast, so why not bring it out of retirement for some reappraisal? No dice, unfortunately. It seems as if life moved too fast for this also-ran.
#4: “Boston Public” (2000-04)
“Boston Public” is the first show on this list that was created by David E. Kelley, but (spoiler alert!) it won’t be the last. Kelley enjoyed an esteemed pedigree with shows like “Doogie Howser, M.D.” and “Ally McBeal,” and “Boston Public” ran for a solid four years. Yet, why has this show languished in comparative obscurity, while other of Kelley’s shows can be purchased or streamed? We’re not sure, really, because “Boston Public” also possessed a strong cast, including Chi McBride, Jeri Ryan, and Rashida Jones. There’s no physical media presence for “Boston Public,” nor is the show available to legally stream anywhere at the time of this writing, apart from clips on sites like Vimeo and YouTube.
#3: “Millennium” (1996-99)
It sort of defies logic, right? How can a show created by “The X-Files’” own Chris Carter be so difficult to watch in the modern day? “Millennium” was a cult sci-fi series starring Lance Henriksen that enjoyed strong fan appeal, and to be fair, the show DID get released on home video. However, those discs have sadly gone out of print, and demand a hefty price tag on second-hand markets like Amazon. Additionally, “Millennium” isn’t available to stream apart from Dailymotion and YouTube rips at the time of this writing, although we’re hoping that this will change sooner, rather than later.
#2: “Willow” (2022-23)
We’re back to The Great Disney Purge once again. This time, we’re discussing a show that, depending on who you ask, either isn’t missed all that much or didn’t get a fair shake. This 2022 sequel to the classic 1988 fantasy film received a mixed audience reception, but fared well critically, at least enough (fans thought) to merit another season. The exact opposite happened, though, and “Willow” was dropped only six months after it debuted. The quickness with which this show got the axe effectively meant that, if you didn’t stream it when it debuted, you may never get a second chance to see what you missed.
#1: “Chicago Hope” (1994-2000)
We’re back to David E. Kelley for our top pick, a show that ran for an impressive six seasons, yet is strangely absent on the streaming circuit, apart from (you guessed it) YouTube and Dailymotion. “Chicago Hope” was a popular show during its initial run, enough to get individual seasons released on DVD, as well as a “Complete Series” set. However, these discs weren’t released in North America, meaning that one needs region-free access on their players to view them at home. This isn’t like utilizing a VPN for geo-locked content, either, as region-free technology is either built into the device or unlocked on some older players by pressing certain button sequences on the remotes to gain access. Physical media wins again.
