Another Netflix Original series from Germany is leaving Netflix: the eight-episode limited series Perfume (Parfum), which starred August Diehl, Friederike Becht, Roxane Duran, Christian Friedel, Ken Duken, and Carlotta von Falkenhayn.
The series was created by Eva Kranenburg, Philipp Kadelbach, and Oliver Berben and produced by Constantin Film, the same production company behind Resident Evil, Firedrake the Silver Dragon, and The Silence, as well as upcoming titles like Exterritorial and Achtsam Morden.
The plot revolves around a murdered singer from a boarding school being investigated, and her classmates are among the suspects. Be pre-warned if you’re expecting your usual European crime noir affair; it’s not. It’s a bit dark and, indeed, more steamy.
While labeled a Netflix Original in all territories except Germany, the show actually falls under the exclusive distribution umbrella, which means that Netflix doesn’t forever own the rights to the series.
The show initially aired on ZDFneo before getting its Netflix release globally on December 21st, 2018. Netflix hosts the show with a slew of dubbing and subtitle options.
A new removal notice on the Netflix page for the series states that it will be scheduled to leave on August 15th, 2024. The “Last day to watch” notice states that you have until August 14th to finish the series.
Should you give Perfume a watch before it departs?
Decider wasn’t a big fan of the series when it dropped. Joel Keller gave the series a “SKIP IT” rating, suggesting that you should only watch it “unless you like shows that are bloody and macabre. If there were a better story, we could excuse Perfume‘s gratuitousness, but shock seems to be the priority, judging by the first episode.”
While they weren’t fans, the series performed far better, with IMDb listing it as a solid 7.0 at the time of publishing.
Could the show’s license be renewed on Netflix (not season 2)? It looks unlikely, as it hasn’t been a massive hit. Last year, the show picked up 8.4M hours watched globally, equating to 1.4M views.
The show joins the dozen of Netflix Original movies and series that have departed from the service over the past few years. In 2024 alone, we’ve seen another German series, Babylon Berlin, depart for a new streaming service, plus other titles like The Square, Medici, Million Pound Menu, and El Vato.
Are you going to be disappointed to see Perfume leaving Netflix? Let us know down below.