Disney+ has built its brand on nostalgia and family-friendly content, but not everything from its vast archives has made the cut. Some episodes of beloved shows have never hit the streaming service, leaving subscribers wondering why.
While Disney hasn't explained its reasoning in some cases, the majority of ghosted episodes have pretty straightforward explanations – whether they're due to licensing conflicts, outdated themes, or controversies behind the scenes. Here are some of the most glaring omissions from Disney+.
Multiple Episodes of Bear in the Big Blue House
Bear in the Big Blue House was a childhood staple for millennials, known for its gentle storytelling, catchy songs, and the warm presence of its titular bear. When the show arrived on Disney+ in 2022, nostalgia ran high—but not every episode made the cut. “A Berry Bear Christmas, Part 2” and “And to All a Good Night” remain missing, with speculation pointing to licensing issues as the cause. Disney has never provided an official explanation.
Multiple Episodes of Andi Mack
Andi Mack broke new ground on Disney Channel from 2017 to 2019, with the critically acclaimed coming-of-age series featuring an authentic portrayal of a 13-year-old girl navigating the complexities of adolescence, family, and self-discovery. The show garnered praise for its diverse characters, realistic storylines, and willingness to tackle sensitive topics such as first crushes, blended families, and cultural identity, sparking important conversations about representation and inclusivity.
Credit: Disney
If you try to watch the show on Disney+ today, you'll find that it is not available in its entirety. While there was a time when you could watch Andi Mack from back to front on the streaming service, multiple episodes have since been pulled, with the first season suffering the most.
Disney's motivation behind cutting the episodes is pretty straightforward. Stoney Westmoreland – who played Andi's grandfather – was arrested and pleaded guilty to child sex charges, leading to the removal of every episode featuring the actor.
One “Satanic” Episode of Darkwing Duck
A DuckTales spin-off, Darkwing Duck became a 1990s favorite, following Drake Mallard as a superhero navigating crime-fighting and fatherhood in the city of St. Canard. Known for its mix of slapstick humor, action, and comic book-style storytelling, the series was a staple of Disney Afternoon programming.
While several episodes faced restrictions over the years, “Hot Spells” was removed entirely. The episode featured Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Morgana visiting a magic school where Beelzebub tempts Gosalyn with forbidden powers and tries to claim Darkwing’s soul. Shortly after its release, parental groups raised concerns over its “Satanic themes” and “religiously sensitive subject matter,” leading Disney to quietly pull it from circulation.
Unlike other controversial pieces of content on Disney+, “Hot Spells” has yet to resurface on any official platform.
Credit: Fox
The “Michael Jackson Episode” of The Simpsons
The Simpsons is renowned for its celebrity cameos, including the Prince of Pop himself in season three's episode “Stark Raving Dad.” This famously saw Michael Jackson voicing a character impersonating Michael Jackson (meta, right?) in a mental institution.
Even before Disney+ debuted, The Simpsons episode was pulled from circulation. The decision came courtesy of executive producer James L. Brooks, who decided to axe the episode from all outlets in March 2019 after HBO released Leaving Neverland, a documentary delving into the allegations made against Jackson. Some fans were disappointed with the move but, as Brooks said, “This is our book, and we're allowed to take out a chapter.”
The decision not to feature the episode on Disney+ was met with some backlash from critics, too. As noted by Slate, the move was “an offense against art and the medium of television, and part of a growing trend of corporations using their consolidated power and the death of physical media to do damage control by destroying works by troublesome artists.”
Two Culturally Insensitive Episodes of TaleSpin
TaleSpin, a high-flying adventure series from the Disney Afternoon, reimagined characters from The Jungle Book in a 1930s setting (the very definition of a niche concept). Today, two episodes are missing from Disney+ despite being readily available on both Amazon and YouTube.
The missing episodes in question, “Last Horizons” and “Flying Dupes,” are both victims of outdated themes. “Last Horizons,” a World War II satire, features problematic Asian stereotypes. It aired on Toon Disney but was pulled from circulation in 2002. “Flying Dupes,” which involves a terrorist plot, was included on the show's DVD release but has also been removed from syndication and is absent from Disney+, likely due to its potentially sensitive subject matter.
Brooke Shields and Chris Langham's Episodes of The Muppet Show
It's time to meet the Muppets – but not Brooke Shields and Chris Langham.
The Muppet Show ran from 1976 to 1981, taking the form of a variety series starring Kermit the Frog, the rest of the Muppets gang, and a different celebrity guest each week. These guests performed alongside the Muppets in comedic skits and musical numbers, contributing to the show's widespread popularity.
While you can catch most of these performances on Disney+, both Shields' and Langham's episodes are missing, but for very different reasons.
In the case of Shields, Disney claimed it was due to licensing issues. For that same reason, all scenes containing the song “Lullaby of Birdland” were deleted from another episode of the show.
Meanwhile, Langham's episode is missing because he was charged with 15 counts of downloading indecent images of children in 2005. The actor was later sentenced to ten months in prison and placed on the sex offender registry for a decade. In short, not very Disney+ friendly.
What other episodes have you noticed are missing or altered on Disney+?
