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DrkTitan t1_j922wep wrote

I forgot the feature existed.

328

blinknow t1_j923jc8 wrote

I used it once, and it sent me to recently released stuff, so I stopped using it.

372

TheGlave t1_j924bg2 wrote

People use this? Seems very risky, especially on Netflix.

84

TheMicMic t1_j926yut wrote

Why does every article use "quietly"?

14

amnesiac2323 t1_j928ue9 wrote

It was a stupid idea that was pushed by a minority of loud idiots

5

CosmicLars t1_j929knb wrote

The whole point of ditching cable is I get to watch exactly what I want, when I want, and not just whatever is randomly on.

−1

SoMantAltsLol t1_j92bmrq wrote

i mean it only took me back to my watchlist

much like youtubes algorithm now seems to think I want to rewatch every video in my history

116

Delicious-Tachyons t1_j92d3yd wrote

well odds are now you'll get some weird sci-fi drama from Turkey or a Spanish show about robbing a vault if you press that.

Netflix' procurement of foreign media is either very peculiar or that is all they watch in those countries.

7

darthjoey91 t1_j92f3uv wrote

It wasn't very useful. What they should have a shuffle button on is on shows that have very self-contained episodes that you don't need to watch in order.

2

TheGlave t1_j92fzdj wrote

Replying to sloppyjo12 (#1,860,015)

The idea of watching content at random is so outlandish to me, I would never look for the button. If I ever saw it by accident, my brain would be like: „Doesnt look like anything to me“.

10

bros402 t1_j92g77r wrote

the button pretty much sent me to the same shit every time

it would've been better if it were an actual shuffle

3

jhudilluminati t1_j92jsxb wrote

I used the surprise me button but once: It brought me to a Cambodian snuff film

1

Winterspawn1 t1_j92mmqd wrote

I mean, what kind of person gets a streaming service to then play Russian roulette with it

3

gmoney88 t1_j92pcgm wrote

Does anyone remember the feature way back where it would ask you a bunch of questions about how you felt and what type of movie you wanted to watch? Then it would try to predict what movie you wanted to watch. It never worked out

46

Magnatux t1_j92quwn wrote

Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of Netflix's 'Surprise Me' button. As we reflect on an unremarkable life, we cannot help but wonder: is its passing the surprise we hoped for?

The 'Surprise Me' button was introduced with much fanfare, promising to revolutionize the way we idly eat thousands of pounds of food. It was supposed to be the answer to all of our indecisiveness, our inability to choose what to watch, and our insatiable desire for novelty. But alas, it was not to be.

Perhaps the 'Surprise Me' button was too ahead of its time, too avant-garde for our primitive minds. Or perhaps, it was simply a bad idea from the start. We may never know for sure. Somewhere between the four titles you just scrolled through and something you've already watched lay the disappointment at the core of the experience. What we do know is that it did not live up to its promise.

Oh, 'Surprise Me' button, we hardly knew ye. Your lackluster existence may have been forgettable, but we will always remember the hope that you represented. The hope that someday, someone will invent a button that can truly surprise us, that can truly change our lives.

Rest in peace, 'Surprise Me' button. May the next step in the money-grubbing, corrupt degradation of streaming be something that will surprise us more than a 'target my views to benefit Netflix' button.

P.S. - Please take Spotify's shuffle algorithm with you.

11

HappyAndProud t1_j92u4z1 wrote

If they could just move it to individual TV shows and have it play a random episode. That would actually be useful!

206

ghostgnome t1_j92xabc wrote

Replying to gmoney88 (#1,860,866)

Recommendation algorithms seem to be widely designed to take away as much individual choice as possible. Just nonsensical sorting that leaves both users and creators confused.

4

flekkzo t1_j92xjze wrote

Replying to SoMantAltsLol (#1,859,702)

YouTube is getting worse and worse! I too get either “you watched one video with keyword x, now half your feed is that” or “you watched this 1-2h video once, why don’t you want to watch it again?”.

It used to be actually good:(

52

Tatermen t1_j92z95n wrote

All it did was pick one of the most recent 5-6 Netflix originals. It was not useful or particularly surprising.

1

jogoso2014 t1_j931jtd wrote

I’ve had something like this for years.

It routinely froze up and for some reason kept playing Star Trek stuff lol.

1

bannedagainomg t1_j931jxh wrote

> "The Suprise Me feature was discontinued in January 2023."

And its 18.february now, should tell you enough about how many people used it.

I didnt even know a option like that existed.

8

boogersrus t1_j9336xg wrote

It always just played something in my queue which I had skipped over hundreds of times before anyways so it was basically like a longer version of looking through my queue.

1

aduong t1_j934ibh wrote

This is one those sounds good on paper but not that great in real life idea. You try it one or two times then the novelty quickly wears off.

1

mackinoncougars t1_j934kwt wrote

Replying to jonny_wonny (#1,861,606)

It’s pretty normal to send a quick press release or an email to customers when you add or remove features. Especially if they intend for them to get used. They won’t launch a marketing campaign or ad spending, but their communications team largely will get in front of things.

4

keener91 t1_j935oew wrote

I quietly dropped Netflix too.

1

fossilnews t1_j935qo3 wrote

Turns out people don’t want a 98% chance of viewing trash.

1

sotommy t1_j9366v4 wrote

I'm afraid to push that button. I don't want to accidentaly cancel a tv show

2

KitchenReno4512 t1_j937kuf wrote

Replying to blinknow (#1,858,992)

I always thought it would be cool if Netflix created “channels” you could tune into. Like “action movies” “reality tv” “adult cartoons” etc and it was basically like cable. Where content was just always on.

A lot of people I know that grew up with cable say they miss channel surfing and just tuning into what’s on. I feel like this was Netflix’s half-assed attempt to recreate that.

137

MadeByTango t1_j937tz8 wrote

People don’t want random without some control. Especially when it’s only pushing what Netflix wants viewed. Things I know people want, because it used to be my job to know :

  1. A “channel” experience that is genre based but already running, like having a “Cheers station” that always plays Cheers, or “romance” that has something running, and everyone streams the same episode at the same time

  2. The ability to schedule their own tv night, ie “one episode of 90s Show, one episode of Family Guy, then whatever Lockwood & Co episode is next”

  3. A random episode button

  4. Recommendations based on what was just watched, not an algorithm based on our likes

  5. Co-watching, where people can match their feeds and even send notes (like emojis)

  6. Themed watch guides, like “Monica and Chandler’s relationship” and then it plays key episodes for that storyline; going across shows is also desired (The Madeline Hahn Guest Appearance Extravaganza, etc)

  7. Stand-up specials broken out and remixed together into 5-10 minute blocks with the ability to jump to the full special

  8. A “trailer channel” that lets people jump straight into to the full film/show

  9. Not for me, but “Celeb watch lists” that are recommendations, like “Stephen King’s Halloween Haunt” (some channels do this poorly, because they’re promoting a show the person is in, not thinking about who an “expert” making choices would be)

  10. A way to browse better than ribbons, using additive filters (JustWatch’s top movie wall always tests fantastic); basically you say “show me thrillers, and comedies” and it ranks the best/popular thrillers and comedies into a scrollable wall that blends them all together

23

Ok_Judgment_4515 t1_j9387sp wrote

I'm surprised Netflix hasn't started an AVOD service like Pluto TV, the surprise me button seems like a poor way to find a new show to start.

2

IamTheShrikeAMA t1_j93cbqm wrote

Replying to flekkzo (#1,861,574)

I'm constantly surprised at how shitty recommendation engines still are. Like you have so much data about me and the best you can do is suggest shit based on what I searched for recently?

25

wulv8022 t1_j93emdp wrote

This feature was so stupid as an idea imo. 9/10 series or films suck on netflix. Give me rather the whole genre lists. Several series or films don't appear when you scroll the genre lists. You have to write the title into the search bar to find some films. I know there was a browser code for that you attach at the netflix url. But for some time even that didn't work I hear.

All streaming services have that problem and I don't understand why.

2

OneGoodRib t1_j93fduk wrote

Replying to TheGlave (#1,859,958)

One of the many flaws of the English language is that "drops" means both "released" and "removes". You'd think a professional writer might choose a different word for their headline.

2

OneGoodRib t1_j93flvl wrote

Replying to amnesiac2323 (#1,859,434)

I don't think it's a stupid idea at all. People always complain about how there's so much content on streaming services that they just scroll for 30 minutes before deciding to watch something they've seen 100 times already, so a shuffle button that just takes you to something random so you don't have to pick is a good idea, if it was implemented well.

1

OneGoodRib t1_j93g0sp wrote

God, does ANYTHING please you fucking people? Oh no not a completely optional way to watch something you otherwise might not have chosen yourself that you could easily stop watching if it sucked! Why can't they just make a streaming service that only has every episode of The Office and films that came out a day ago but only the GOOD ones and it should be free and have no commercials and not have anything that other people might like because it should only have titles and features I personally like!

−3

isortoflikebravo t1_j93hahb wrote

I used it one time and watched a nice documentary about queen Elizabeth and her sister. Never used the button again though.

1

Dear-Attempt-2182 t1_j93hztr wrote

Tried it. It just tried to make me watch the Modern Family pilot. Every time.

Would love a feature where I could select, say, some sitcoms and get served random episodes of them

2

[deleted] t1_j93iys9 wrote

I have a shuffle button in plex with my favourite sitcoms, works great

1

ajmethod33 t1_j93jvlr wrote

Would have been an OK feature if it started at ep1 of a season but starting a random show on season 5 ep03 is fkin useless

2

bcraig8870 t1_j93kghh wrote

I’ve had Netflix since before the streaming days and I’ve never even heard of this feature.

1

EMPulseKC t1_j93kx3c wrote

You mean the button nobody ever used?

1

[deleted] t1_j93ky48 wrote

Never used it. I generally know what I want to watch before I fire up the ole Flix to chill.

1

Deducticon t1_j93kzga wrote

Replying to AdmiralAkbar1 (#1,859,406)

No, it's to make it seem like Netflix has embarrassed themselves.

So, "reader you don't have to feel too bad about your station in life. See, even big successful companies shit the bed sometimes."

4

Cyyyyk t1_j93ly90 wrote

I watch Netflix all the time and I never even knew it was there.

1

CosmicLars t1_j93mq4d wrote

Replying to OneGoodRib (#1,863,057)

The fuck? I was giving my opinion on the shuffle. Nowhere did I demand they remove it. Where the fuck is the entitlement? This is a message board. For opinions. Do whatever the fuck you want, buddy.

1

Hivesthebutler t1_j93njyu wrote

I’ve had Netflix all the way back to when you got videos in the mail. I never saw this feature.

1

CttCJim t1_j93qtdb wrote

I miss Max. You used to be able to click "ask Max" and this voice acted menu wizard would ask some if you're preferences and then give you a movie to watch. It was pretty great.

1

frostbitten42 t1_j93t39x wrote

Still waiting for the feature that filters out things I've watched and rated. Or the magical "show me the best thing I haven't watched yet" button.

2

bob1689321 t1_j93uot6 wrote

Replying to Captain_Smartass_ (#1,858,966)

That's because it was useless. That level of randomisation is awful

Randomised episodes within a show - good

Randomised selection of anything on the entire site - awful.

It's like hitting random on porn websites. It's just not something you'd ever do because you risk being subjected to something terrible.

97

masterhogbographer t1_j93uvkx wrote

Replying to hour_of_the_rat (#1,864,450)

Being a boomer and still having cable it’s crazy not just how many new shows I discover but how many old shows I’d forgotten all about but just randomly flick on right in the middle of an episode and say “wow I forgot Frasier was this funny, I’m gonna watch it again”

That never happens when I’m going through my plex or Netflix (though I’d cancelled it) and looking at icons.

10

nickstee1210 t1_j93wkij wrote

Netflix just loves dropping stuff that since there wasn’t a meaningful show to drop they just dropped that.

1

0biwanCannoli t1_j93xns0 wrote

Because it’s generally garbage content. No surprise there.

1

AsheronRealaidain t1_j93zm4a wrote

Replying to gmoney88 (#1,860,866)

So their used to be this website called Jinni. Asked you a bunch of questions about movies and you spent time going through movies and rating them and why* you liked them. You could get AMAZING movie recommends from this website and it could even recommend movies based on their ‘feel’. I’ve used every movie recommendation generator out there and Jinni was 100x better.

But then they sold out and now sell algorithms to companies or something along those lines. Can’t blame a business for wanting to make money but man do I miss that service

4

SandysBurner t1_j941mzl wrote

It's just the recommendations with autoplay. If I don't like the recommendations, why do I want to autoplay them?

1

JM062696 t1_j94cc7d wrote

If it were a "randomize episode of a single show" button for something like Seinfeld I would be all-in.

1

riegspsych325 t1_j94dpm0 wrote

Replying to roguefilmmaker (#1,864,078)

all my life, I’ve watched Seinfeld mostly in random order. I remember watching the finale with my family, I can tell by picture quality/set changes/etc if it’s an early or late season episode. But I have never seen any more than 3 successive episodes in order. Being able to drop in at nearly any point of the show is just part of the allure for me, if that makes sense

29

DisturbedNocturne t1_j94ejvj wrote

Replying to bob1689321 (#1,864,520)

Even "random within a genre" would've been far more useful than what they had. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a specific type of movie, but I don't think I'm ever in a mood of "Oh, I'll watch whatever!" I don't think the feature even differentiated between a television show or movie which was even dumber.

It was just a lazy feature with no thought.

35

january_stars t1_j94izqt wrote

I actually used it and started watching two new shows because of it. They were shows I had heard of but probably wasn't going to try, but they came up on random and the first couple of minutes really pulled me in. But this was many months ago and I hadn't really used the feature since. I forgot that it existed.

0

DisturbedNocturne t1_j94jmyp wrote

Replying to IamTheShrikeAMA (#1,862,797)

It really seems deliberate too considering they get worse over time. I used to find Netflix's algorithm to be reliable. I frequently saw things I had previously watched (not on Netflix) and enjoyed and found a few things to watch specifically because they were on there.

Now, though? It's full of things I've watched on Netflix, already have on my watchlist (which shows I intend to watch them), and garbage. For the life of me, I don't understand how Netflix can have a system that rates how likely it is that I'll enjoy something, and then put things rated 50-60% on my recommendations. It's like they're specifically trying to get me to watch things they know I won't like.

12

DisturbedNocturne t1_j94kekv wrote

Replying to JS-87 (#1,863,403)

It's really baffling how frequently stuff I've already watched shows up on there. Netflix's whole design revolves around obfuscating the size of their catalogue as much as they possibly can. It's why they rotate categories and thumbnails as much as they do. But when I see like 5-10 things on my recommendations that are things I clearly already watched and rated on Netflix or it's stuff that doesn't have a great recommendation percentage, it just makes me think there must not be enough on Netflix for them to recommend to me that I will like.

2

heavengrl t1_j94lhrp wrote

I wish that button had been for shows you'd already selected. Like if you've watched The Office a million times, you could shuffle and it'd just give you some random episodes. That would be neat.

0

RobaBobaLoba t1_j94q5xs wrote

Can we please stop using the word “quietly” in headlines? Like what even is the point of using that word here, were they supposed to make a heartfelt announcement on the end of the shuffle button?

3

Artistic-Toe-8803 t1_j94spdv wrote

I don't feel like they have the content quality for this sort of feature tbh. Massive catalog but it's like 80% mediocrity, especially the current/newer stuff (back catalog is pretty insane tbf, Queen's Gambit, Dark, Breaking Bad, BCS, etc). Realistically most people keep Netflix due to the 2 or 3 enormous global smash hits that they release per year, rather than the enormous breadth of subpar shite that they shovel out in droves.

1

dare_dick t1_j94vxxo wrote

Replying to DisturbedNocturne (#1,866,094)

That's exactly why I switched to Plex with my own media server. I have multiple playlists. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a sitcom. So I do a random episode from multiple sitcom shows. Other times I like anime ... etc.

It's so much more meaningful than random episodes/movies from the entire collection!!

4

Old_Red_Alligator t1_j95lqo2 wrote

It never made sense to me. You re an on demand service, therefore your users choose you because you can decide what to watch and when, so what s the point in watching random stuff?

2

Bettalad t1_j95ods3 wrote

I’m waiting for them to loudly drop a feature

1

King7up t1_j95shyg wrote

I canceled my subscription.

2

Chasedabigbase t1_j95tzcy wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#1,869,358)

What's the problem with it?

It has continue watching / recently added movies / tv, watchlist, library right at the front. All works fine for me I don't need anything fancy, and can filter out the extra junk like tidal. I appreciate how simple it is.

I don't know how people could think Netflix possibly has a better UI, I have to scroll multiple rows everytime just to get to my list.

3

froop t1_j96j0ss wrote

Replying to Chasedabigbase (#1,869,798)

How to enable subtitles in Plex:

Pause playback. Navigate to 3 dots menu. Select streams, select subtitles, pick track, back, Back, resume. 12+ button presses on Roku.

How to shuffle series:

Navigate to series, 3 dots submenu, shuffle is the only item in the menu. Why does the menu exist?

That said, every other app is even dumber than Plex, and to be fair to Plex, it has plenty of great UI features.

3

5k1895 t1_j96ux9y wrote

I was just thinking I should try that feature finally. Slightly annoying, can't imagine it would have hurt anything to just leave it there

1

7thKingdom t1_j97b2kp wrote

Replying to IamTheShrikeAMA (#1,862,797)

It's intentional. They all used to be better. YouTube before monetization was absolutely amazing and had the best recommendations ever. You would get lost down the YouTube rabbit hole for days. Netflix OG ratings system also generated fantastic recommendations. It was actually one of their original selling points, that's how good it was.

I'm not sure why exactly it's more profitable to push shit ratings and recommendations, but it clearly is because all these corporations have made very deliberate decisions to do so. They don't care about our user experience so long as it's just good enough to stick around. And in Netflix case, the lack of quality recommendations probably helps obfuscate the lack of depth and quality they actually offer. I'm sure it's not a coincidence their recommendation algorithm kicked ass back in the DVD rental days but sucks now that their streaming options are limited.

3

BBWcoupl t1_j97i8tr wrote

That's Okay. I dropped Netflix

1

Ozlin t1_j97wxv9 wrote

Replying to exaslave (#1,867,729)

It's been slow and buggy for years. Sometimes I'll tune into a channel and there's no sound. Sometimes they'll go to a commercial and come back to the film and it will play the previous 10 minutes. I still use it and think it's decent, but Pluto definitely has some bugs in it that they don't seem to care to fix.

1

Ozlin t1_j97xc1g wrote

Replying to DisturbedNocturne (#1,866,094)

Even if it was "random thing from my list" it would have been a bit better. But I agree having it be within a genre from your list would have been the best option. I used Surprise Me once and its selection was poor enough that I never use it again as well. Seems to be the common experience.

3

Ozlin t1_j97xnrd wrote

Replying to MackenziePace (#1,870,683)

Yes, there's actually a number of call backs and continued plots, but they're easy to ignore for random episode syndication. It's interesting watching it serially though as there are some fun progressions and such.

3

MackenziePace t1_j980q3c wrote

Replying to Ozlin (#1,876,054)

Funnily enough I ignored it on syndication for years until college then I watched it all in order so that is the only context I had and I was surprised how serialized it was for a weekly 90s sitcom.

3

acAeris99 t1_j98fcfc wrote

Replying to froop (#1,872,012)

You can update the Plex settings so it automatically loads media with the subtitle language you prefer. The navigation is useful if you want to change it to another language from default selection. I only use it to find subtitles online if I have none.

2

_Meece_ t1_j98vj2u wrote

Replying to riegspsych325 (#1,866,035)

> But I have never seen any more than 3 successive episodes in order

That just seems insane to me for a show that carries on a consistent storyline for like 4-5 seasons.

I can understand doing this for the first 3, but for the rest? Insanity

3

riegspsych325 t1_j991esd wrote

Replying to _Meece_ (#1,879,245)

I admit I must be an outlier, certainly far from exemplary. But I growing up in a household where basic cable was the norm, seeing the show out of order was commonplace. But I will say that it speaks for the merit and quality of the show that one could watch a few random episodes and know the “gist” of Seinfeld

1

Razzler1973 t1_j9999ma wrote

I love the use of 'quietly' in 'reporting' on TV

Someone is 'quietly' brought back or something is 'quietly' dropped

Do they expect a news conference for such things?

There always the implication that something underhand has taken place, something a bit secret

1

Jason2648 t1_j9dsfb6 wrote

netflix pretty much died after its bullshit with the account sharing stuff

1