Netflix regularly sends us a list of all the shows and movies coming to the streaming service for the next month, but the company usually sneaks in a few surprises along the way. For instance, on Monday, What’s on Netflix observed that all eight seasons of the 2009 USA Network drama series Royal Pains had been quietly added back to the Netflix library.
As the blog notes, the show was a mainstay on Netflix for years, with new seasons being added throughout the 2010s. The eighth and final season of Royal Pains started streaming on Netflix in May 2018, but in May 2020, the entire series was removed.
At this point, you might be wondering why the addition of a 15-year-old dramedy about a doctor in the Hamptons who makes house calls for the rich and famous is worth highlighting. One word: Suits. Last summer, another mostly inconspicuous 2010s USA Network drama series absolutely dominated the streaming service and became one of the most-streamed TV shows of the year. Suits was such a hit that new spinoffs are now in the works.
Licensed shows were once a dime a dozen on Netflix, but when TV networks started launching their own streaming services, they took their top shows with them. The Office went to Peacock, Friends is only on Max, and New Girl left Netflix for Hulu and Peacock.
All of a sudden, binge-worthy TV shows with several seasons were much harder to come by on Netflix. That pent-up demand was finally met by the arrival of the nine-season legal drama Suits last summer. Will Royal Pains follow in its footsteps?
That’s apparently what Netflix is hoping for, as What’s on Netflix reports that the streamer has licensed the series through the end of 2024. Netflix is giving its subscribers nearly a full year to discover yet another 100-episode series. If Royal Pains is even half as successful as Suits was, don’t be surprised to see Netflix extend the licensing agreement.
In addition to Royal Pains, Netflix will also add the USA series Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub as a private detective with OCD and a variety of phobias, in early February.
