Coach Carter, Samuel L. Jackson’s divisive biographical sports drama, will soon be losing its streaming home. It will be removed from Netflix at the top of the new year.
Netflix has revealed that Coach Carter will officially be departing its platform as of Jan. 1, 2026. Based on the true story of Richmond High School’s coach, Ken Carter, the film tells the story of how he made headlines in 1999 after suspending his undefeated basketball team due to their poor academic performance. Jackson starred as the titular Coach Carter, with Channing Tatum making his film debut as one of the team members.
Coach Carter sees Jackson’s character returning to his old high school in California, eager to get the basketball team in top shape with his tough love and strict discipline. He quickly puts the team on an amazing winning streak — but as soon as their grades start to suffer, he shuts down their ability to play. This leads to huge criticism from both the players and the parents, but Carter continues to insist that his team are as good in the classroom as they are on the court.
In addition to Jackson and Tatum, Coach Carter also stars Rob Brown, Debbi Morgan, Robert Ri’chard and the singer Ashanti. Originally released in 2005, the film — which capitalized on the relatively recent true story — was able to be a box office success, debuting in first place during its opening weekend and beating out Meet the Fockers. It ended its box office run with over $76 million worldwide.
Despite its strong box office performance, Coach Carter divided critics during its run. On Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus leans towards the positive; it has a 63% approval rating from over 145 reviews. “Even though it’s based on a true story, Coach Carter is pretty formulaic stuff, but it’s effective and energetic, thanks to a strong central performance from Samuel L. Jackson,” the site’s consensus reads.
While some critics may have been on the fence about Coach Carter, audiences have viewed the film in a much more positive light. From over 250,000 user ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a strong 85% approval rating, even 20 years after its debut.
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Denzel Washington in Coach CarterParamount Pictures
Coach Carter marked Channing Tatum’s film debut, and he quickly made a name for himself in Hollywood. He would join forces with Jackson again a decade later, with the two co-starring in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. Jackson once again took the starring role as Major Marquis Warren, with Tatum portraying the mysterious Jody Domergue.
While not appearing directly on-screen with each other, the two actors have also played significant parts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jackson portrayed Nick Fury across multiple films, making his debut at the inception of the MCU with 2008’s Iron Man. Tatum’s arrival is much more recent, with him playing Gambit in 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine. He will reprise the role in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Coach Carter leaves Netflix on Jan. 1, 2026.
Release Date
January 14, 2005
Runtime
136 minutes
Director
Thomas Carter
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Samuel L. Jackson
Ken Carter
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Robert Ri’chard
Damien Carter
