Netflix is releasing so many new original series, documentaries, comedy specials, and films in any given month—on top of what it doesn’t own—that it’s almost impossible for even the most tuned-in viewer to know what’s coming out. But a new feature coming to the TV app is set to make those more accessible.
When you view Netflix’s home page on the Netflix TV app, you’ll find a new section that will let you know what shows and films are being released within the next week, each of them with an accompanying trailer if you hover on the square. According to Variety, Netflix started to implement the new section on Monday afternoon across smart TVs, game consoles, and other streaming devices.
The list of upcoming shows and movies will be constantly updated and curated for each particular account, and users will be able to set reminders to let them know when that particular title is available to stream.
The new section arrives on Netflix after testing out the feature with a smaller portion of its members.
“It was a very successful test,” Cameron Johnson, Netflix’s director of product innovation—who compared the new feature to movie theater trailers—told Variety.
Although it’s unclear how long the new feature was in the works for before it was rolled out, it seems to offer a partial solution for complaints that Netflix doesn’t advertise or recommend its own series apart from some of its biggest hits. The marketing berth often overwhelmingly affects shows written by and/or starring women and people of color to the point where some Netflix subscribers didn’t know about shows like Tuca & Bertie and The OA until after they had been canceled; Tuca & Bertie creator Lisa Hanawalt even mentioned Netflix’s algorithm when discussing its viewership.
For a show that might not get the marketing push that something like Stranger Things or The Crown, something as simple as a new Netflix tab could make all the difference in whether it’s picked up for another season.
Not sure what to watch tonight? Here are our guides for the absolute best movies on Netflix, must-see Netflix original series, documentaries, docuseries, and movies.
Looking for something more specific? Here are our Netflix guides for the best war movies, documentaries, anime, indie flicks, true crime, food shows, rom-coms, LGBT movies, alien movies, gangster movies, Westerns, film noir, and movies based on true stories streaming right now. There are also sad moviesguaranteed to make you cry, weird movies to melt your brain, old movies when you need something classic, and standup specials when you really need to laugh. Or check out Flixable, a search engine for Netflix.
H/T Variety