Inside Amy Schumer among second round of series gutted by Paramount Plus [UPDATED]

The Paramount+ bloodbath has taken another set of victims. Last week, the streamer joined (HBO) Max, Disney+, and Hulu in not only canceling shows but going full scorched-earth and disappearing them from existence entirely. On Monday evening, Deadline reported an additional list of titles being removed, including Inside Amy Schumer, which was literally in the middle of its Emmys campaign for its fifth season that aired in Fall 2022.

In addition to Inside Amy Schumer (which won a Writers Guild award earlier this year, by the way), Paramount+ has also purged From Cradle To Stage (a docuseries directed by Dave Grohl), anthology thriller Tell Me A Story, docuseries Ghislaine: Partner In Crime, and a whole slew of Nickelodeon series: All In With Cam Newton, Allegra’s Window, Becca’s Bunch, Bella And The Bulldogs, Crashletes, Digby Dragon, The Fresh Beat Band, The Halo Effect, Legendary Dudas, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Mutt & Stuff, Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn, Peter Rabbit, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, Ride, and The Troop. Films Fantasy Football (starring Marsai Martin and Kelly Rowland) and Snow Day (a comedy musical starring Rob Huebel) were also removed.

The reason behind the removals, here and elsewhere, is a tax write-down that streaming services can get by Thanos-snapping their own original series. Why such a tax loophole exists for content that has been written, produced, and platformed (even for only a short time) is something that Hollywood might want to look into, as this increasingly popular move from streamers has introduced a new level of instability to the industry. Getting canceled is bad enough; now creatives have to worry that their work will disappear forever, often without any way to access it ever again.

One would think this cold-blooded financial decision-making might begin to alienate the artists that streamers employ. Take Amy Schumer, for instance, who called MTV Entertainment Studios her “home base” and gushed about working with Paramount+ to The Hollywood Reporter in November 2022. “I hope we get another season,” she said at the time. “They had a very light touch and they just supported us. They were the ideal partner, that’s why I’m like, ‘C’mon guys, how about we do it again?’” Apparently not.

[Update June 28 10 am]: A source from Paramount tells The A.V. Club that while series like Inside Amy Schumer and Star Trek: Prodigy were removed as part of a “content impairment” plan, the Nickelodeon shows removed were removed as part of a regular cycling out of content.