In a scene straight out of Apple TV’s The Studio, streaming giant Netflix has just announced it has purchased Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion. This includes its TV, movie and games studios along with HBO and HBO Max, however those are even separated at this point.
Even those who work at Warner Bros. don’t know what happens from here. The biggest, obvious question is what happens to WB’s (lately very successful) film slate now that it’s been sold to a streaming service that is reluctant to give its original films a two-week limited theatrical run at best before heading to Netflix itself. It’s also nebulous what’s going to happen with WB Games, which has a bunch of projects in the works, but Netflix, despite having a gaming division, has no experience running a AAA studio.
But one thing that seems clear is the transfer of at least some HBO/HBO Max series to Netflix. It makes little sense that Netflix would keep an entirely separate HBO Max app for long, though they claim they will for now, and therefore fold all its content into the main app. A consequence of this deal is no doubt going to be Netflix subscription prices rising even higher than past hikes. But…what are consumers getting in return?
Here are the biggest, currently airing shows that Netflix may get from HBO Max. This does not include HBO’s enormous back catalogue filled with some of the best shows of all time from The Sopranos to The Wire. There are almost too many to count. But current series?
All Game of Thrones Projects – Right now, this includes House of the Dragon and the upcoming Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but many more series are being drafted as we speak.
All DC Projects – Where to even start here? The biggest question, of course, is what happens to DCU theatrical releases, but the new era is meant to have a bunch of in-universe shows as well. Lanterns is about to be released next year, though it’s unclear how fast this merge may happen in full. And outside of the DCU, we have “Elseworld” projects like The Penguin, where more of those in that universe may follow. But Netflix owning DC is probably one of the most significant parts of this entire acquisition, which will put it up directly against Disney and Marvel from here.
All Harry Potter Projects – I wrote this entire list and somehow forgot about Harry Potter. The next thing that’s happening with that series is a wildly ambitious project re-adapting the books from the original movies. It’s already started filming, and it’s a commitment of at least a decade of production to get through the entire book series. Plus, there are obviously more HP universe shows that can be made indefinitely as spin-offs, prequels or what have you.
The Pitt – The breakout series is meant to run yearly, a new-era ER that is one of the hottest properties on the market, and seems poised to nab an Emmy for its lead, Noah Wyle, soon enough.
The Last of Us – The prestigious video game adaptation has big viewership and lots of Emmy nominations. It’s supposedly going to run for at least two more seasons (one question with this sale, of course, is how much future plans can change under new Netflix budgets and demands).
The White Lotus – The anthology and yet another Emmy favorite that seems destined to run forever, with a fourth season gearing up to start production in France this time around.
Euphoria – There’s only one more season of the controversial show coming, but it’s now owned by Netflix.
Welcome to Derry – It’s currently HBO’s Sunday night staple, an IT prequel meant to run for multiple seasons that’s topping the charts every week.
The Chair Company – It just had its finale, and the absurdist comedy had a ton of viewers for a new comedy. It will return for season 2.
I Love LA – The new Rachel Sennott comedy that was also just greenlit for a second season and is currently airing on Sundays.
Hacks – The Emmy-winning comedy that is coming back for one more season, season 5, which will end the run of the show.
All those unexpected miniseries – These are the one-offs that show up, are great, and then we wait for the next one. These range from Task to Mare of Easttown to Sharp Objects to Chernobyl and many, many others.
So, how much more do you think all these are worth? We’ll probably find out what Netflix thinks soon.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/12/05/all-the-hbo-max-shows-coming-to-netflix-after-its-wild-wb-purchase/
