Why was The Company You Keep removed from Hulu?

The Company You Keep may not have been a success when it debuted on ABC this spring. However, it’s still a surprise that the show will be removed from Hulu on July 1. Why is this show leaving the streamer so soon after its only season ended?

Premiering in February 2023, The Company You Keep told the story of Charlie Nicoletti (Milo Ventimiglia), a con artist betrayed by his fiancee. He meets with Emma (Catherine Heena Kim), a CIA agent. Unaware of who the other really is, the pair have a steamy romance.

It’s complicated as Emma is investigating a criminal that Charlie’s family is forced to work with. This leads to a cat-and-mouse game as the pair work their romance amid con games and various secrets.

The show had a decent following and ended in a way leaving things open for a second season. Instead, ABC canceled it, but, like other ABC series, the first season remained on Hulu. But now it has been removed due to some complex money situations.

Why was The Company You Keep removed from Hulu?

The Company You Keep isn’t alone, as Hulu is dropping other shows such as Alaska Daily, Angie Tribeca, Blindspot, and others. This follows Disney+ cutting over a dozen of its original shows as streamers such as Paramount+ do the same.

The reason is simple: Money. Streamers have to pay licensing fees to air past series as well as residuals for the cast and crew. In the past, that wasn’t too much of a problem, but now, studios are tightening their budgets. In this case, by cutting so many past shows, Disney doesn’t have to pay out those fees and is planning to save about a billion dollars with these cuts.

The Company You Keep will still be available to buy on iTunes and Amazon. It’s also possible it may end up on another streamer that doesn’t worry as much about the licensing, such as the free service Tubi.

The Company You Keep streaming until July 1 on Hulu and available on iTunes and Amazon.