If you ever visit Netflix and feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of content, don’t worry, we do too. In fact, just the other day, I took the best part of half an hour to find something to watch.
After finishing The Good Place, I was saving the best of Brooklyn Nine-Nine for my sad nights, and didn’t feel happy enough to watch BoJack Horseman. So what did I do? I just opened YouTube instead.
No ad to show here.
But for those who have more will power than I do, how can you find something to watch without forcing yourself to find something else to watch? Enter these three nifty methods.
Method #1: use parameters on a Netflix search site
Our service of choice is Netflix Roulette. Free for those just browsing Netflix, Netflix Roulette lets visitors input parameters like genre, IMDb score, Rotten Tomatoes score and type of media. It then recommends movies or TV shows based on said criteria.
For instance, looking for a drama with an IMDb score of eight or above, a RT score of 60% or above, and a TV series gave me Twin Peaks. Unfortunately, it’s not available on South African Netflix.
With that said, be mindful that South Africans aren’t offered a lot of the content those in other countries are. But at least this particular service will give you an idea of what you’d like to watch.
Flixable also deserves a mention, allowing visitors to search by rating, starring actors, as well as year of release.
Method #2: use Netflix’s secret codes
Netflix is a nest of machine learning and information honeycomb that orders shows based on what you like and watch. But ultimately, it’s like a giant library. There are numbers that are tied to each and every genre. And we mean every genre.
We detailed this lesser known feature in a post last year:
every Netflix genre page ends in a sequence of numbers. So the URL for the comedy section ends in “6548” (www.netflix.com/browse/genre/6548).
But what if you fancy critically acclaimed violent independent crime movies? Then change the four digits to “8121” (thus giving you the following URL: www.netflix.com/browse/genre/8121).
Find unique genres by changing the number at the end of the URL. Boom. Problem solved.
Method #3: use whatthehellshouldyouwatchonnetflix
If all hope is lost: What The Hell Should You Watch On Netflix?
That’s not a question, that’s a solution.
Unlike Flixable and Netflix Roulette, the above site doesn’t feature any toggles or selections to narrow content focus areas. Instead there are three large buttons for shows, movies or “random” if you’re feeling lucky. Tap on one of them, and the service will automatically and completely randomly suggest a show or movie.
Simple.
Now go watch those super random low budget Christmas movies in August, you weirdo.
Feature image: Julia Breakey/Memeburn
