Buffy the Vampire Slayeris one ofthe best TV shows of all time, and while it continues to be unmatched, it had a great replacement on Netflix that is now lost. In 1997,Buffy the Vampire Slayertook viewers to the town of Sunnydale, Southern California, to meet Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
Buffy was the latest in a succession of young women chosen by fate and known as “Vampire Slayers”, whose mission is to fight vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness.Buffy the Vampire Slayerwas a big success, thanks to its strong female lead character, its blend of genres, and how it covered serious topics.
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris also one of the most influential TV shows of the decade and in the fantasy genre, so it’s not surprising that many TV shows have tried to match or recreate its charm. One of the best Buffy replacements was on Netflix, but it’s now a lost original production of the platform.
Hemlock Grove Was Buffy’s Best Replacement On Netflix
Netflix started producing original content in 2013, with the first TV show under the Netflix Originals banner beingHouse of Cards. That same year, Netflix released the horror TV seriesHemlock Grove, based on Brian McGreevy’s 2012 novel of the same name.Hemlock Grovetook the audience to the fictional title town in Pennsylvania, ruled by the wealthy Godfrey family.
The family was led by the imposing Olivia (Famke Janssen), who oversaw the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies and Hemlock Acres Hospital, the town’s main sources of employment. Olivia had two teenage children – the seductive Roman (Bill Skarsgård) and good-hearted Shelley (Nicole Boivin and Madeleine Martin), who was heavily deformed.
Also part of the family were Norman (Dougray Scott), Roman and Shelley’s uncle, who had a secret affair with Olivia, and Norman’s daughter Letha (Penelope Mitchell). The events ofHemlock Grovekicked off with the brutal murders of two teenage girls, which coincided with the arrival of 17-year-old Romani, Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron), and his mother.
Peter became a suspect, while a rumor began to circulate that Peter was a werewolf – and it was true. Meanwhile, Olivia had been keeping a dark secret for years: she was an upir, which is a type of vampire, and so was Roman, but he didn’t know.
On top of that, Shelley was made as a Frankenstein creature-like character, as she died when she was a baby, but her father demanded that she be brought back to life. In its second and third seasons,Hemlock Groveintroduced other supernatural creatures along with ghosts, making the show a very complete one when it comes to monsters.
Hemlock Grovemixed fantasy, horror, drama, and mystery as well, with Roman and Peter teaming up to solve the mystery of the murders and other horrors in the subsequent seasons.Hemlock Grovedidn’t forget about comedy, though it leaned more towards dark humor. Due to its shared monsters and themes,Hemlock Grovewas a great replacement and companion toBuffy, at least during its first season.
Why Hemlock Grove Ended After Three Seasons
As much as I enjoyedHemlock Grove, I will be the first to admit that the show’s quality drastically dropped in its second season.Hemlock Groveseason 2 was messy, but its plot was still intriguing, though it took a turn towards the end that marked a point of no return for the show.
Unfortunately, season 3 was even messier, and it went on unnecessarily disturbing paths. WhatHemlock Grovedid well, however, was give closure to Roman, Peter, Olivia, and Shelley.Hemlock Groveleft the door slightly open for another season or even a spinoff, but the show ended after its third season.
An official reason forHemlock Grove’s end after three seasons wasn’t given by Netflix, but it’s likely that its decreasing viewership numbers, along with its mixed to negative critical reception, led to that decision. It’s also possible thatHemlock Grovewas always intended to end with season 3, leaving no room for more stories.
Why Hemlock Grove Was Removed From Netflix (& Where You Can Watch It Now)
What makesHemlock Grovea lost Netflix Original is that it was removed from the platform. Streaming platforms often remove movies and TV shows from their catalogs due to licenses and more, but it’s very rare when they remove their original productions. In 2022,Netflix announced that Hemlock Grove was going to be removed, and so it was on October 22.
Despite being a Netflix Original,Hemlock Grovewas produced by Gaumont International, which had the streaming rights to the show. The company had a deal with Netflix, and when it expired,Hemlock Grovehad to be removed from Netflix’s catalog. Unfortunately, this led toHemlock Grovenot being available to stream anywhere else.
At the time of writing, the first season ofHemlock Grove(which is, in all honesty, its best) can be found on Hoopla, a digital media service that allows library card holders to borrow movies, TV shows, music, ebooks, and more.Hemlock Groveis a great companion toBuffy the Vampire Slayer, and one can only hope that it will return to streaming someday.
