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It’s been gone one year and I still miss Netflix’s most underrated feature
Netflix’s ‘Play Something’ shuffle feature has now been gone for a year, and I honestly still really miss taking a gamble with it.
It’s a good job we can’t check how much time we spend scrolling through the Netflix library because if I could check I’m almost certain I’d faint upon seeing the results. Sometimes there’s no stopping you from getting carried away, and the more you scroll through movies and TV the more fussy it seems you become. Eliminating the choice can save lots of time, which is why I’m feeling more nostalgic than ever about Netflix’s now-retired ‘Play Something’ shuffle feature.
What was Netflix’s ‘Play Something’ feature?
“Looking for something new to watch?” Netflix asked when they released a promotional clip for its ‘Play Something’ feature in April 2021. “Give that remote a rest and try Play Something: A new feature that finds the perfect thing to watch based on what you love.”
Essentially, the feature appeared on the Netflix homepage, and when you clicked on it, it presented you with something to watch based on your viewing history.
The feature has been rebranded over the years, at one point being called ‘Surprise Me’ instead. Nevertheless, the benefit was the same.
By taking a gamble on ‘Play Something’, the streamer would select something based on your tastes to help eliminate the wasted time of scrolling when all you really want to do is spend time watching.
Why I miss Netflix’s shuffle feature
The ‘Play Something’ feature on Netflix (and its variations) has been gone for a year now, and honestly, I seriously miss it a lot of the time.
The retirement of the feature was announced by Netflix last February, but I noticed that it had disappeared the month prior. Being without it for one whole year, I fully realize now what made it so helpful.
Just last night I spent what must have been the best part of half an hour skimming through the library& and I didn’t even end up putting anything on. Back in the days of the shuffle feature I’d have surrendered after 10 minutes and been checking out something I wouldn’t have taken a gamble on otherwise.
However, the biggest reason for me loving it is that it would finally push me to watch things I’d been meaning to get to for ages, and it’s actually how I finally began watching what’s now one of my all-time favorite shows: Ozark. I’d heard nothing but great things, but for whatever reason I just hadn’t dived in. When it came up on ‘Play Something’ I knew it was the universe’s way of telling me it was about time, and it sure was. I was hooked immediately.
Sure, it’s recommended me some things I haven’t enjoyed, yet actually, looking back I think the success rate of selecting things I liked was pretty damn impressive.
As somebody who’s indecisive but always in the mood to watch something, I really wish they’d bring it back. Who knows what shows they’d have pushed me to watch over the past year that I’ve missed out on? It was always a good bit of fun to spice up an evening.
Why did Netflix stop ‘Play Something’?
In February 2023, when the feature’s retirement was announced, a report from The Wall Street Journal addressed that it was taken from the platform due to low usage.
You don’t know what you have until it’s gone, right?
We have sunset the Surprise Me feature on Netflix for members around the world on TV and Android devices, a spokesperson for the streamer also told PCMag. We will continue to invest in other ways to give members more options and ways to explore and discover content they want to watch.
We now have the ‘Top 10’ categories for movies and TV which is helpful, but there was no spinning the wheel quite like a good ‘Surprise Me’ night. Oh well, we’ll always have Ozark& and the rest.
