One of the Most Underrated Ghostbusters Spin-Offs Just Vanished From Free Streaming

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Extreme Ghostbusters, one of the iconic comedy horror franchise’s most underrated animated spin-offs, is no longer available on The Roku Channel. The 1997 animated series joined the platform around Halloween last year, which gave the fans a chance to revisit the cult-favorite sequel to The Real Ghostbusters (1986). This 40-episode series took on a darker tone and introduced a new generation of characters while retaining Egon Spengler (Maurice LaMarche) as the central link to the original team.

The story is set several years after its predecessor and follows Egon as he recruits four college students to revive the Ghostbusters operation. The talented voice cast includes Billy West, Rino Romano, Tara Strong, Jason Marsden, and Alfonso Ribeiro, all of whom give the new team a distinct identity separate from the original Ghostbusters lineup. The short-lived animated series currently holds an 88 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which reflects its largely positive reception among fans.

The timing of the removal is particularly strange, given Dan Aykroyd’s recent update about the franchise’s future. During an appearance on the Talking Strange podcast, the Ghostbusters co-creator teased that another animated series is currently in the works. Aykroyd shared that the upcoming show is expected to come out soon and will address some of the biggest issues that have been on the fans’ minds. He also revealed that New York City will once again serve as the setting for the new animated series. In Aykroyd’s exact words:

"The characters and the whole take and the look of Manhattan is really exciting."

‘Ghostbusters: Answer the Call’ Returns to Netflix Amidst Other Streaming Updates

The 2016 reboot Ghostbusters: Answer the Call has returned to Netflix in the U.S. as part of the streamer’s January lineup. The film, directed by Paul Feig, stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones as four eccentric women who start a ghost-catching business in New York City.

The film’s return to Netflix comes just as the 2024 supernatural comedy Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire prepares to leave the service later this month and move to Hulu. This makes Ghostbusters: Answer the Call the only title in the franchise to be available on Netflix at the time. In Canada, Ghostbusters: Answer the Call exited Netflix on January 1, while Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire joined the service late last year. Meanwhile, viewers in the United Kingdom and Ireland saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire arrive on Netflix on January 3, which highlights how fragmented the franchise’s streaming presence remains across regions.

Extreme Ghostbusters remains available for digital purchase through Amazon. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.