George R.R. Martin’s Favorite Historical Drama Will Soon Depart Streaming

Bad news for sword-and-shield TV fans: one of the greatest historical dramas of the streaming era may be on borrowed time. According to a new report from What’s on Netflix, The Last Kingdom is currently slated to leave Netflix in late 2026, alongside several other licensed series. As things stand, December 9, 2026, appears to be the final day Netflix holds the rights to stream all five seasons of the show. That gives fans just under a year to binge (or rewatch… again) Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s full saga.

Now, to be fair, this isn’t set in stone. And, you’ve got a full year to catch up, so the news could be worse. Netflix could still renew the licensing agreement, especially considering how much the streamer invested in the series — and how much it benefited from it. But if the rights do lapse, The Last Kingdom would join a growing list of prestige shows quietly cycling off major platforms, leaving fans scrambling.

Part of what makes this sting is The Last Kingdom’s crossover appeal. Even George R.R. Martin has publicly praised the series, and it’s long been a favorite among fans of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and The Wheel of Time. While it skips the dragons and magic, it more than makes up for it with brutal realism, emotionally charged character arcs, and some of the best medieval battle sequences ever put on TV.

What Is ‘The Last Kingdom’ About?

Based on Bernard Cornwell’s beloved The Saxon Stories novels, The Last Kingdom originally premiered on the BBC in 2015 before Netflix stepped in after Season 2. That decision changed everything. Seasons 3, 4, and 5 — fully backed by Netflix — are widely considered the show’s peak, elevating it from a solid historical drama to an all-timer in the genre.

The series follows Uhtred of Bebbanburg, played by Alexander Dreymon, a warrior caught between two identities: Saxon by birth, Dane by upbringing. Set in ninth-century England during the rise of Alfred the Great, the show blends real history with visceral combat, political intrigue, and deeply personal rivalries. Uhtred’s outsider perspective makes him one of TV’s most compelling protagonists — stubborn, reckless, loyal to a fault, and endlessly watchable.

Netflix eventually brought the story to a close with The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die in 2023, a feature-length finale that wrapped up Uhtred’s journey and delivered one last round of heartbreak and battlefield chaos. While the series technically ended less than two years ago, the idea of it vanishing from Netflix already feels… wrong.

Right now, all five seasons of The Last Kingdom and Seven Kings Must Die are still streaming on Netflix.