Netflix stops the cycle of human misery by dropping A&E and History Channel shows

By Sean O'Neal | September 24, 2012 | 6:16pm

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Promising to end the cycle of addicts in constant need of money for drugs, who get that money by pawning things to large dudes in sleeveless shirts, who then sell those things to people who add them to piles of useless crap rendering their homes uninhabitable, Netflix has cut some 800 hours of A&E and History programming illustrating the circle of miserable life from its streaming fare. The move—which comes about after the companies failed to reach terms for renewing their deal—represents the largest withdrawal of instant content since Starz pulled its Disney and Sony movies, and includes popular shows such as Pawn Stars, Intervention, Hoarders, American Pickers, Ice Road Truckers, and Dog The Bounty Hunter that will now only be available in their regularly scheduled timeslot of "right now." (Seriously, go check right now and see if one of these shows is not currently on television.)

Anyway, Variety speculates that this, along with the upcoming removal of National Geographic titles like Taboo, suggests that Netflix is slowly "losing its taste for unscripted material." But considering there are still dozens of TLC and Discovery shows on there about healthier things—like dudes blowing stuff up and women getting married—perhaps it's just losing its taste for enabling the cycle of addiction. Did you ever think about that, Variety? Huh?