Why a show has different seasons in different countries
You find a series on Netflix, start watching, and then discover your country only has the first three seasons while a friend abroad has all seven. It's one of the most frustrating things about streaming, and it has a few common causes.
Seasons are often licensed separately
When a streaming service licenses a series it doesn't own, the deal doesn't always cover every season. A service might buy the older seasons of a show while the newest ones are still with a TV channel or a different service. In each country the deals are negotiated separately, so one country can have a full run while another has only part of it.
New seasons usually air somewhere else first
For many shows, new seasons first air on a broadcaster or the studio's own service. The streaming service only gets them later, after an agreed waiting period, and that waiting period varies by country. That's why the latest season can be on Netflix in one country months before it appears in another.
Deals end at different times
Licences run for fixed periods, often a few years. When one ends, the show (or some of its seasons) leaves that service in that country, while the deal elsewhere may still have years left. Our guide to why movies and shows leave streaming services covers this in more detail.
Originals are the exception
Series that a service makes or owns worldwide, such as Netflix Originals, normally have every season in every country where that service operates. If a show is missing seasons, it's almost certainly licensed rather than original.
Finding the missing seasons
- Check other services in your country. The newer seasons are often on a different platform, such as the studio's own service or a local one.
- Search the show on FlickFinder. A title page lists every service and every country where the show is streaming, including regional services. FlickFinder counts the show as available wherever a service carries it, so check the season list in the app itself before you subscribe.
- Look at the show's own page on the service. The season list there is always the most up to date for your country.
Start with a search on FlickFinder, or browse what's on each service in your country from the best streaming services by country page.