Netflix contains a vast library of media, both TV shows and movies that people from across the world pay a monthly fee to access. But despite paying the subscription fee, there is no guarantee to be able to view everything that Netflix has to offer. Because despite your subscription fee, Netflix has to cater to local copyright and licensing laws. Netflix cannot allow people in the US access to a TV show if another broadcaster or publisher has the exclusivity license to do so.
There are still ways to circumvent these geo-restrictions by Netflix, but we will talk more about those later. For now, let us go through some of the shows that are unavailable in the US.
Netflix libraries all over the world
When you open Netflix, everything that you see is based on the country that you are currently in. Netflix uses your IP address to locate you geographically. Then it filters the content that you see based on whether or not Netflix has permission to show it to you.
Different countries have different libraries, if you have been thinking that the US library on Netflix is the absolute best one possible then you are far from being right.
10 regional exclusive shows that are not available in Netflix US
It is a lot easier to show you just what types of shows are not available in the US instead of explaining complicated copyright and licensing laws, we will do that later. For now, let us start listing some of the regional exclusive shows you will not find on Netflix.
Knives Out (2019)
Murder mystery and crime meets drama, Knives Out is a unique film that is accessible on Netflix in many countries but not in the US. The movie revolves around a murder that took place and starts off with interviews of the main characters as we discover more details about their lives and where they were when the murder took place.
Cowboy Bebop (1998)
Japanese anime series that fans often call “the greatest anime of all time.” The anime follows a premise where Earth itself has become uninhabitable and humanity has colonized the solar system. Cowboy Bebop is considered to be the best implementation of the “space cowboys” genre with tales of bounty hunters and spaceships, we wish we could talk more about this show without delving into spoilers.
Rashomon (1950)
Another Japanese entry into our list and this time it is from all the way back in 1950. Rashomon focuses on the philosophy of what “truth” and “justice” actually is. The film focuses on how complex humans are by showing the effect that different perspectives have on our understanding of events, in this case, how different people all have a different story for a murder and rape instead of everyone seeing it the same way.
How I Met Your Mother (2005)
HIMYM is the show that people grew up with, similar to Friends, it tells the story of a small group as they spend their lives in Manhattan, New York City. Although the overarching story of this show is about how Ted, the main character, ends up meeting the mother of his children, that is certainly not the allure of this show. HIMYM is an amazing sitcom to binge watch, even more so if you enjoyed Friends or The Big Bang Theory.
A Brighter Summer Day (1991)
A Brighter Summer Day is a Taiwanese crime drama that tells the story of a young boy who falls in love with a girl, due to friendships and life’s complications he then starts getting involved in the local gangs, crime, and an eventual heartbreak. The show is based around a real story that had caught media attention in Japan.
Modern Family (2009)
Sitcom lovers in the US constantly have to face disappointed as they cannot binge some of the best content out there. Modern Family has been a staple the lives of many bingers as it manages to present itself in a mockumentary style. With 250 episodes in total spanning eleven seasons, once you start binging Modern Family, you will be there for a while.
Star Trek Discovery (2017)
Modern Trek lovers have had a love-hate relationship with Star Trek Discovery as the show struggles to maintain the “Star Trek” feel while also attempting to convey a more modern season-based storytelling. Older Star Trek shows had a story that spanned only a single episode or two instead of the entire season. But that would not really be popular on modern TV where you need to have cliffhangers to bring people back to your show. Star Trek Discovery is still an amazing show, and we recommend that Trekkies watch it with an open heart and mind.
The Big Bang Theory (2007)
Fans of The Big Bang Theory exist all over the world as the show aired from 2007 to 2019, there are twelve seasons to binge through with a combined total of 279 episodes. The show follows a small group of friends as they struggle in their social lives and overcome hurdles such as: talking to girls, fixing a car, and driving.
LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar (2018)
People who claim that only bad shows end up on Netflix get proven wrong with this one. As another one of LEGO’s production, which only had two episodes, is still not in Netflix’s collection in the US. While you are definitely not missing much with this show’s inexistence on the streaming platform, its entry in our list simply exists to remind you that bad shows are missing from Netflix US too.
Castle Rock (2018)
We have to talk about psychological horror shows eventually, especially when online streaming media is in question. Because these streaming services do not have to give in to the rules regarding what is “acceptable” on a television, they have a lot more freedom to delve into the darker horror genres than simply “ghosts” and “demons.” Castle Rock is a must-watch for anyone who is interested in psychological horror as a genre.
Why they are unavailable in the US?
Licensing laws prevent Netflix from showing everything to its US subscribers. For example, if another streaming service like HBO Max has the exclusive rights to show “The Big Bang Theory” on its streaming service then Netflix has to remove it from theirs. Which is precisely what happened and what got it removed from Netflix US in the first place.
Users from many other countries can view a lot more American shows than those in the US, ironic.
Since the number of streaming services operating in the US has increased, with Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu entering the market, Netflix is no longer the highest bidder by default when the creators of these shows offer their streaming licenses.
How does Netflix block access to these libraries?
Netflix uses your IP address to geo-locate you. It then filters through its library and only shows you the content that should be available to you. Geo-location is a common method of identifying what country your visitors are coming from and Netflix is no different. Since Netflix does not have access to your phone’s location service, geo-location through your IP address is the only option to find out where you are from.
How to access all Netflix libraries?
Thankfully, the internet does provide us with a workaround. Geo-location is not a foolproof system, it depends on the IP address that is making requests to Netflix’s servers. If you can somehow change the IP address of your system, Netflix would never know where you are actually from.
But this is easier said than done. Your IP address is determined by your internet service provider and not by you. So, the only way to change your IP address is to get another server to make the requests to Netflix for you, one that is physically based in another country.
Using VPN Proxy Master to bypass geo-restrictions
VPN servers allow you to route all your requests through them, they contact Netflix’s servers on your behalf and become the agent that we need. Netflix never finds out your real IP address and VPN Proxy Master provides you with a server that you can use to view any show you want to from other countries’ Netflix libraries.
VPN Proxy Master’s Streaming Servers
Netflix detects whether their viewers are using VPNs to access their streaming service and blocks them. VPN Proxy Master has special streaming servers equipped to bypass this detection. Since most low-quality VPN services use datacenters as their VPN servers, Netflix has blocked these datacenters altogether.
But VPN Proxy Master’s special servers have IP addresses that Netflix has not banned. Simply open VPN Proxy Master and instead of connecting to their regular servers, go to the “special servers” tab and select a Netflix server. For example, let us say that you connect to the UK server. Once connected you will be able to see the Netflix library as users in the UK see it and you will also be able to stream content from it without any issues. With VPN Proxy Master, you can get access to more streaming sites and enjoy more shows!
