Real World Homecoming has been deleted by Paramount+

The Real World Homecoming, one of the best new reality TV series of the past few years, is gone less than two years after it was introduced to the world.

The show reunited the casts of three iconic seasons of the once-iconic MTV’s once-marquee show, The Real World, and premiered over the past few years:

• New York, season one, premiered in March 4, 2021, the day Paramount+ took over from CBS All Access
• Los Angeles, season two, premiered in Nov. 2021
• New Orleans, season nine, premiered in April 2022

The show was critically acclaimed, and was twice-nominated for Television Critics Association awards in 2021 and 2022. And now it is gone—probably also cancelled, but definitely no longer even viewable.

Why would Paramount+ kill one of its best shows?

I do not know exactly when all three seasons of the show were removed, but the show’s home on Paramount+ now just redirects to its list of other shows.

Could this removal/deletion be similar to HBO Max’s removal of content?

A year ago, before The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans premiered Paramount referred to the show in a press release as “the hit original unscripted series.” After the first season, it renewed the franchise for what it called “two additional seasons of the hit original unscripted juggernaut.”

“Juggernaut” is not an official metric, but suggests a show that has at least met expectations for the company that was renewing it for two more seasons.

Then again, more than nine months have passed since New Orleans started streaming, and there hasn’t been any word about the franchise since, that doesn’t bode well. And if you were going to order/stream new seasons, would you delete the old ones?

I’ve reached out to Paramount+ and asked:

1. Why was The Real World Homecoming removed from Paramount+?
2. Will these three seasons return?
3. Is The Real World Homecoming cancelled?

I will update when I hear back.

One thing we do know: The Real World Homecoming was not alone. Scripted shows from the CBS All Access era are missing, too, including The Twilight Zone, produced by Jordan Peele, and Showtime has been deleting series, too, including Jim Carrey’s Kidding.

Paramount+ adds ‘Paramount+ With Showtime’ as it deletes The Real World Homecoming

I’m curious if this decision was made by the same people who are renaming the premium cable channel Showtime to “Paramount+ with Showtime,” because they seem to have some Really Good Ideas about what really attracts consumers, such as sexy names like “Paramount+ with Showtime.”

Yes, I’m really grouchy about this! The Real World Homecoming may have had a more niche audience, speaking directly to those of us who grew up with the MTV show in the 1990s and 2000s, relying on nostalgia in the way that The Challenge doesn’t have to.

In a memo to staff about Showtime being consumed by the empire, Paramount/Showtime Media Networks/MTV Entertainment Studios President/CEO Chris McCarthy wrote that “the Paramount+ brand … is much broader, appealing to the entire family and general market audiences across the country.”

I’m curious if The Real World Homecoming not fit into that category? Does The Challenge and its head wounds? Does Paramount+’s interface suck in order to appeal to the entire family?

‘Due to streaming rights’ is back!

Update: While I have not yet heard back from Paramount+, reality blurred contributor Tyler Lyons Tyler Lyons reached out to their consumer support, and was told this:

Due to streaming rights, The Real World Homecoming is not available on Paramount+, but we do have other similar shows you may enjoy: Love Island, The Challenge All Stars, and the Real World are available now only on Paramount+

You may recognize the awkwardly worded rationale, “due to streaming rights,” from one year ago, when Paramount+ removed Survivor Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

They had Australian Survivor: Blood V Water streaming for just 12 days, yet still claimed the show was not available “due to streaming rights.” That’s just nonsense. If you license a show,

Similarly, Paramount Global owns The Real World Homecoming, which was produced by a company Paramount owns, MTV Entertainment Studios.

The Real World Homecoming: New Orleans and Los Angeles are both available for purchase on Amazon, but New York is not. And as of right now, none of them are streaming elsewhere.

Did Paramount decided to sell the show elsewhere, to make more money on it, like Warner Bros. Discovery is doing with Legendary and Fboy Island? Those shows are heading to Tubi and The Roku Channel, which will stream them with ads.

Notably, that’s not what Warner Bros. Discovery said last summer when it deleted those shows off HBO Max. I guess I don’t understand why these companies aren’t more honest. (I’ll pause here for you to finish laughing at my naivety and get something to wipe your screen from any spit-take debris.)

“We sold the show to X. You can watch it there starting Y!” seems like a reasonable response. Then again, that would mean the people we’re asking—support people, publicists—have been told the rationale for the decisions.

And I suppose that something like “We’re sorry, but we’re just as confused as you are by the dumb decisions being made by the people who make millions yet are completely disconnected from the reality of this company’s work” is probably not going to be an approved response.