Netflix goes down on Christmas Eve: 9 panicked reactions
The company's streaming service temporarily fails, and thousands of horrified Americans have to actually interact with their families


On Christmas Eve, thousands of users said "Bah, humbug" to Netflix as an unplanned service outage shut down the company’s extremely popular "watch instantly" service, forcing thousands of Americans to face the unimaginable unpleasantness of actually talking to their families. (The service has since been restored.) Netflix was quick to react, tweeting an apology and assuring subscribers that the Netflix team was working on solving the problem — but that didn't stop the horrified reactions from pouring in:
But all was well by Christmas morning:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 29, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - my way or Norway, running orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chat
Cartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published