With The CW and Netflix coming to an exclusive deal, there are now many questions about when all the shows are coming to the streaming service. Just what exactly was the deal and what does it mean for Netflix users?
CW/Netflix exclusivity deal in the United States
Unfortunately, not all countries will get the CW shows to their Netflix screens. This is because the exclusivity deal is for the United States only. There are some parts of the world that don’t get any of the shows, while others will only get a few shows. For example, Canada gets “The Vampire Diaries” and “Supernatural” but very few of the DC shows and no “The Originals.”
The dates that are in this article are only for the United States version of Netflix.
Some of the shows are already available on international versions of Netflix, due to different licensing agreements. For example “Riverdale” and “The 100” are available the day after they air in the United States on Netflix Canada. The Canadian networks does not air the episodes, but Netflix wanted to make sure they were available for Canadian fans. The United Kingdom and other countries have deals for other American TV shows.
All shows will make their way to Netflix in the United States eight days after the season finales. This was part of the Netflix deal, and “The Vampire Diaries” season 8 and “Legends of Tomorrow” season 2 are already available. The shows will air in order of their season finale dates.
‘Riverdale’ and ‘Supernatural’ start the releases on Netflix
“Riverdale” will be the first TV show to come to Netflix in full. The CW has already announced that the season 1 finale will air on May 11. The season will come to Netflix eight days later on May 19, 2017. “Supernatural” season 12 follows and will be made available on May 26, 2017 (eight days after the season 12 finale on May 18).
The rest of the shows will follow toward the end of May and into June (and some in July). “Supergirl” season 2 and “Jane the Virgin” season 3 will appear on Netflix on May 30, 2017, followed by “The Flash” season 3 on May 30. “Arrow” season 5 and “The 100” season 4 follow on June 1.
“Reign,” “The Originals,” and “iZombie” don’t have season finales until June, so their Netflix release dates are delayed.
“Reign” season 4 will be made available on June 24, 2017, as the series finale airs on June 16. “The Originals” season 4 will be a week later, released on July 1. “iZombie” season 3 is the last of the CW shows to make it to Netflix on July 5, 2017.
Put all the dates in your diary for your favorite CW shows streaming on Netflix, and don’t forget to catch the season (and series) finales in May and June 2017.