Paramount+ cancels and drops four series including Grease prequel, Star Trek: Prodigy

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is a spin-off from the 1978 movie

International streamer Paramount+ is cancelling four series and pulling them entirely from the platform, becoming the latest streamer to remove content for a tax write-off.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, Queen of the Universe and The Game will all leave the service ahead of the integration of Paramount+ and Showtime across both streaming and linear in the US. The relaunch of the integrated service is scheduled for tomorrow.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, a prequel musical spin-off from the classic 1978 film, ran for one season on Paramount+. Producer Paramount Television Studios will shop the series elsewhere.

The cancellation of Star Trek: Prodigy comes with the series in post-production on its second season and marks the reversal of a previous renewal decision. The show from CBS Studios and Nickelodeon will also be shopped to other buyers.

Prodigy is one of multiple ongoing instalments in the Star Trek universe, including Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks and recently announced Starfleet Academy. The final season of Star Trek: Discovery will air in 2024, while Star Trek: Picard concluded a three-season run earlier this year.

The Game, produced by CBS Studios, ran for two seasons on Paramount+. The series, a modern-day examination of black culture through the prism of American football, was based on a show of the same name that initially ran on The CW and BET in the mid 2000s. CBS Studios will be able to license the property to other outlets.

Drag queen singing competition series Queen of the Universe, produced by World of Wonder, is being cancelled after two seasons. The last four episodes of the 10-part second run landed on Paramount+ on June 22. The show will be removed on June 30.

The size of the tax write-off has not been revealed but is expected to be disclosed in Paramount Global’s next quarterly financial report. It is expected that additional titles will be pulled from the platform.

“As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the US, we are refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience for subscribers,” said a representative for Paramount+.

“This is consistent with our content strategy since launch and across our business, which ensures we make smart, efficient choices, informed by audience data and insights.”

Removing less-viewed content from streaming platforms for a tax write-off is an increasingly common strategy used by major studios as they look to balance their books amid heavy streaming losses. Pulling content from the service means they avoid paying residuals and allows them to generate revenue by licensing the content elsewhere.

Warner Bros Discovery was the first to do this, pulling dozens of titles including Westworld, Minx and FBoy Island off its streaming service Max, starting last year. Disney has followed suit, announcing last month that it was removing multiple Disney+ originals from the streamer. Disney took a US$1.5bn write-off charge as it pulled dozens of titles from the platform.