Netflix is investing not only in original content but in shows from other networks.
The streaming service has become a household name in large part due to their original programming, which includes Stranger Things, Monster, Bridgerton, Wednesday and more. But in recent months, Netflix has found even more success by expanding with licensing deals that have paid off.
The Hunting Wives debuted on Netflix in July after it was previously slated to premiere on Starz. Netflix then had the ability to bring The Hunting Wives back for more episodes due to exclusive licensing rights in the U.S. for a year.
Two months after a record-breaking premiere, the cast opted in for new seasons, and The Hunting Wives was officially renewed in September. Netflix confirmed that new episodes will be released “exclusively as a Netflix-branded series in nearly all countries Netflix is available, with the original cast set to reprise their roles.”
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Based on May Cobb‘s novel of the same name, The Hunting Wives follows Sophie (Brittany Snow) as she moves from Boston to an East Texas town where she finds herself drawn to prominent socialite Margo (Malin Åkerman). In addition to being a murder mystery, The Hunting Wives won viewers over with lots of drinking and intense chemistry between Sophie and Margo.
Netflix kept it coming by investing in Doc, which is a Fox show that streams new episodes on Hulu. Doc, which premiered in 2024, centers on the chief of internal medicine at Minneapolis’ fictional Westside Hospital, who suffers a traumatic brain injury in a car accident that causes her to lose her memory of the last eight years.
Doc was produced by Sony Pictures Television, which meant Netflix was able to license the streaming rights and premiere the entire first season in October while season 2 continued to air. That same month, Netflix licensed the streaming rights for The Way Home from the Hallmark Channel, which previously made episodes available to stream on Hallmark+ and Peacock.
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The Way Home, which premiered in 2023, introduces three generations of women in the Landry family, who stumble onto a pond on their land that allows them to time travel. Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) is the first one to make the discovery, which leads to her going back in time to when her mother, Kat (Chyler Leigh), was her age.
By the time Netflix made past seasons available to stream, Hallmark was working on filming season 4. Stories set in a small town such as The Way Home became a worthwhile investment for Netflix after Sullivan’s Crossing.
As most viewers already know, Sullivan’s Crossing initially premiered on CTV and later in the year on The CW. Netflix licensed the series in Canada and the U.S. in April and July, respectively, which helped the show find an even larger audience. In July, Sullivan’s Crossing was renewed for a fourth season, which is expected to premiere in 2026.
