Brooklyn Nine-Nine has quietly become one of Netflix’s ultimate comfort watches, racking up a massive 2.4 billion viewing hours between 2023 and 2025. But if you’re a US subscriber who loves revisiting Jake Peralta’s antics at the Nine-Nine precinct, you’re about to notice something bizarre: the show isn’t leaving Netflix all at once — it’s disappearing in pieces, season by season, through one of the strangest licensing arrangements the platform has ever executed.
The Rotating Door Strategy
Here’s where things get confusing. Instead of streaming all eight seasons together like most shows, Netflix US has been operating on a peculiar “two in, two out” rotation system that essentially shuffles which seasons are available at any given time.
The timeline breaks down like this: Brooklyn Nine-Nine first landed on Netflix US on February 26, 2024, with seasons 1 through 4 available. A year later, in January 2025, Netflix added seasons 5 and 6 — but only after removing seasons 1 and 2.
Now, on February 26, 2026, the pattern continues. Seasons 7 and 8 — the final two seasons containing 23 episodes — will arrive on the platform. But the trade-off? Seasons 3 and 4 will disappear the same day, with February 25 being your last chance to watch them.
If this pattern holds, seasons 5 and 6 will likely exit in February 2027, followed by seasons 7 and 8 departing in February 2028. It’s an incredibly unusual approach for Netflix, which typically prefers keeping complete series available for seamless binge-watching.
Why This Licensing Strategy Is So Weird
Most streaming platforms operate on straightforward principles: either a show is fully available, or it’s gone entirely. Netflix’s rotating approach with Brooklyn Nine-Nine breaks that model in a way that feels more frustrating than strategic, especially for a series that thrives on rewatchability and has clearly found a massive audience on the platform.
According to Netflix’s Engagement Report covering 2023 through 2025, all eight seasons collectively pulled in 2.4 billion hours watched, translating to approximately 334.6 million views during that period. Those numbers prove the show isn’t just passively sitting in the catalog — people are actively seeking it out and binging it repeatedly.
So why would Netflix agree to such a fragmented licensing deal? The most likely explanation involves negotiations with NBCUniversal, which owns the series and prioritizes driving traffic to its own streaming service, Peacock. By only allowing Netflix to carry portions of the series at a time, NBCUniversal keeps the complete Brooklyn Nine-Nine experience exclusive to Peacock, where all eight seasons remain available on both premium and free tiers.
Where to Watch the Full Series
If you want the complete Brooklyn Nine-Nine experience without chasing rotating seasons, Peacock is your best bet. The platform holds all eight seasons, accessible through both its free tier (with ads) and premium subscription options.
This makes sense given the show’s history. Brooklyn Nine-Nine originally aired on Fox for five seasons before the network canceled it in May 2018. Following a massive fan campaign on social media, NBC swooped in less than 30 hours later to rescue the series, airing seasons 6 through 8. Given NBC’s role in saving and concluding the show, it’s no surprise that NBCUniversal’s Peacock would prioritize keeping the full series as a streaming exclusive.
International Viewers Have It Better
If you’re watching Netflix outside the United States, you’re in much better shape. International subscribers — particularly in regions where Netflix held exclusive streaming rights throughout the show’s original run — still have access to all eight seasons.
Current licensing agreements for these international territories extend through April 2028, meaning viewers in those regions have another two years of guaranteed access to the complete series. This global disparity further highlights how streaming rights have become increasingly fragmented based on geography and platform competition.
What Fans Should Know
For US-based Netflix subscribers who’ve been working their way through the series, the upcoming February 26 swap means a few things:
First, if you haven’t finished seasons 3 and 4 yet, you have until February 25 to wrap them up. After that, they’ll be gone from Netflix US for the foreseeable future.
Second, if you’ve been waiting to watch the series finale or catch up on the final two seasons, you’ll finally get your chance starting February 26 when seasons 7 and 8 arrive.
Third, if you’re the type of viewer who likes having the full series available for random episode rewatches or thematic binges, this rotating model simply won’t work for you — making a Peacock subscription the more practical long-term solution.
The Bigger Streaming Picture
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s strange Netflix journey reflects broader shifts in how streaming rights are negotiated in an increasingly competitive landscape. Content owners like NBCUniversal are less willing to license their valuable libraries to competitors like Netflix in full, especially when they’re trying to build their own platforms.
The “rotating seasons” compromise allows both companies to benefit: Netflix gets to keep a popular comfort show cycling through its catalog (maintaining some subscriber interest), while NBCUniversal ensures the complete experience remains a Peacock exclusive (driving subscriptions to its own service).
For fans, though, it’s just another reminder that the streaming wars have made watching TV more complicated than ever — even for a straightforward workplace comedy about detectives who love solving crimes and pulling pranks.
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