Fan-Favorite Netflix Series Not Leaving Streamer After Last-Minute Deal

In October, Netflix announced that its very first original series, Lilyhammer, would be leaving the streaming platform in December when it's 10-year license deal to stream the series in the U.S. expired. Now, the fan-favorite series looks like it will be staying put. According to IndieWire, Netflix has closed a last-minute deal to keep Lilyhammer on the streaming platform with all 24 episodes remaining available to subscribers.

"I am very proud of 'Lilyhammer' being not just the first original show on Netflix, but the first truly international show, with subtitles and a completely Norwegian cast and crew except for me, helping establish Netflix as the first truly international entertainment company," star Steven Van Zandt said in a statement announcing the news.

Lilyhammer starred Van Zandt as a former New York gangster named Frank "The Fixer" Tagliano, who had relocated to Lillehammer, Norway to start a new life. The series is considered to be Netflix's first original series, though it was technically a licensed show that had just started airing on Norway's TV NRK a mere 12 days before Netflix licensed it. The series ran for three seasons between 2012 and 2014.

"Looking back, Lilyhammer was perhaps an unorthodox choice for our first show. But it worked because it was a deeply local story that we could share with the world," Netflix chief Ted Sarandos wrote in a blog post. "The jokes and references worked locally, and the more universal themes of the shows traveled perfectly. Thank you Lilyhammer and Stevie Van Zandt for starting this incredible ten-year journey. It's always hard to predict what's to come in the next ten but one thing is certain: we'll have many more great stories from anywhere that can be loved everywhere."

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