Hours can be wasted browsing through Netflix’s collection of films and television shows.
But if you know the kind of thing you would like to watch, a secret list of codes can help you unlock dozens of hidden categories – no matter how niche your taste.
From courtroom dramas to cult comedies, users can watch hyper-specific genres by inserting specific codes, which simply need to be changed at the end of the website URL.
These codes can be added to the end of the website URL search page to access various genres and sub-genres.
Users will need to type in the URL http://www.netflix.com/WiAltGenre?agid=INSERTNUMBER and then insert the desired number in place of ‘INSERTNUMBER’.
There are the normal mass appeal categories – from romantic comedies (5475) and political dramas (6616) to baseball movies (12339) and crime documentaries (9875).
But if users have more specific tastes, they can search for 20th century period pieces with Meryl Streep (74188) or zombie horror movies (75405).
The weird, wonderful and extremely specific categories are available in Netflix’s vast catalogue – accessible from any country where Netflix is available.
They range from feel-good movies with Elvis Presley (58) and witty detective movies (2346) to Korean crime thrillers (434) and understated independent political dramas (3118).
Earlier this year it was revealed Netflix has a secret requests page that lets users order shows and movies that are not in their library.
The feature is hidden within Netflix’s help section, meaning most users have never heard of it.
Users can ask for any three movies or TV shows of their choice by filling in the online form – although the company says there’s no guarantee it will be able to get them.
Los Angeles-based comedian Chelsea Peretti was alerted to the help page feature in June after spotting a tweet from Netflix’s Philippines account.
A Philippines-based user ‘fat Dudan’ tweeted that Netflix Philippines did not have Peretti’s stand-up show One of the Greats.
A few days later Netflix Philippines replied with a link to the request page.
‘You know the drill’, the spokesperson tweeted.
‘Literally no one knows that drill’, wrote Peretti.
Other Twitter users also said they had no idea about the feature.
‘Definitely not familiar with the drill’ tweeted US user Cpants.
‘Have a TV show or movie you’d like to see on Netflix? Tell us about it below! This form is the one and only place to submit content requests’, the company wrote on the page.
‘We keep track of all requests from our members, so there’s no need to request a title more than once’, it read.
However, the company says that sometimes it is unable to licence a particular movie or show.
This could be because the content rights are exclusive to another company or because the streaming rights are not available to purchase.
Other factors that mean it might not be possible are popularity, cost, or seasonal or localised availability. (Daily Mail)
