Why are there lines missing from the Netflix versions of Buffy?

Why are there lines missing from the Netflix versions of Buffy? - Side View Photo of Smiling Woman in a Black and White Striped Top Sitting on a Bed While Using a Laptop

Forgive me if this is the wrong stack for this, but it definitely seems TV related -- Netflix is my only TV provider!

This question is primarily about Buffy the Vampire Slayer; I was watching the musical episode, Once More With Feeling, last night and noticed a missing line. I remember it going something like this:

(Dawn walks into the Magic Box)
Dawn: guess what happened at school today!

Buffy: everybody started singing and dancing?

Dawn (disappointed): no, I gave birth to a pterodactyl.

Anya: oh my God, did it sing?

Dawn: you guys too, huh?

But what actually showed skipped the lines about the pterodactyl entirely, which is too bad, as it was funny (but didn't advance the plot). Call me crazy, but I think they skipped Dawn's dance number as well.

After I noticed it, we watched a few more episodes, and a lot of lines are missing. They're not quite as noticeable, but the fact that something is missing is -- the conversations don't quite gel, and so on.

Why is this happening? Is this a special, edited-for-time version of the shows? If so, why?



Best Answer

These are episodes that were shortened by the studios for syndication or a DVD release.

In this particular case, Once More With Feeling was an extra long episode that ran 8 minutes longer than usual when it originally aired. It was later cut for syndication and subsequent airings with many bits missing, including the pterodactyle joke (you can see a detailed list of the scenes cut in this site). Now, the long version was available on Netflix, but Netflix has since replaced the streaming versions with the (controversial) HD remasters, and the OMWF version there is the shorter, syndicated one. :( [FWIW, they say Hulu has the full version, but I haven't checked yet.]




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Why did Netflix remove Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

The reason Buffy the Vampire Slayer is no longer on Netflix is because the licensing agreement Netflix had with 20th Century Fox expired and the two parties were unable to come to an agreement on a new deal. This also saw House M.D., Firefly, Bones, Ally McBeal and The X-Files leave the streaming service.

Was Buffy Season 5 meant to be the last?

Buffy's death was meant to be the show's finale Buffy the Vampire Slayer had been on WB for five years but eventually moved to UPN to finish its final two years.

When was Buffy removed from Netflix?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was on Netflix US up until 2017 The series at the time of leaving on April 1st, 2017 had been streaming since 2012. As we mentioned, Fox owns the show (now owned by Disney, of course) and currently streams on both Hulu (owned by Disney) and Amazon Prime Video in the form of licensing too.

Why are some episodes missing on streaming services?

It's possible, without knowing the specific episode, that the content might not be appropriate for today's audience. Alternatively, there could be a rights issue, or even that the actual copy recording is not still in existence.



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