Netflix Is Losing 'The Office,' But Here's How To Keep Watching

2020 has been a difficult year, and for fans of "The Office," the final days are proving no different. At midnight on Jan. 1, the comedy will depart Netflix and move to Peacock, where watching will come with some caveats. It’s only the latest casualty in an increasingly fragmented streaming market.

"The Office" was a big earner for Netflix, competing for the top spot in 2020 with children’s program "Cocolemon" (another licensed show). It beat out acclaimed sensations like "The Queen’s Gambit" and "Schitt’s Creek," proving that the old classic still has legs.

Regular viewers don’t need to worry too much about the move. NBC Universal’s Peacock platform will offer the first two seasons of the documentary-style sitcom free, after which a subscription will be needed. Peacock offers two subscription levels, a lesser version with ads for $4.99 a month and a full version without ads for $9.99 monthly.

Both plans offer 7-day free trials.

Peacock will include all 201 episodes of "The Office," which originally aired on NBC from 2005-2013, as well as "Superfan Episodes" which include never-before-seen footage. They'll also offer playlists for the best romances, pranks and more in addition to a feature called "The Zen Office," which NBC describes as "a 24/7 channel devoted to the sights and sounds of the office for anyone working from home."

Viewers for whom the addition of other shows like "30 Rock" and "Downton Abbey" is not enough incentive to get a subscription can still buy "The Office" to own. Digital copies of the complete series run for around $30 while $50 can net dedicated fans the physical DVDs.

The show’s title shot up Twitter’s trending list ahead of its departure, with fans mourning and cracking jokes.

"The Office" isn’t the only prominent show to leave Netflix for its parent company's new platform. "Gossip Girl" will be moving to Warner Media's HBO Max ahead of an anticipated reboot.

They’re casualties of a rapidly fragmenting media market as every producer and network looks to get a slice of the streaming pie for themselves. Gone are the days when Netflix could license every show: viewers are now confronted with a world their either demands brand loyalty or forces them to pay for a dozen different subscriptions.