Netflix used to be weird.
In its early streaming days the video service bought up the rights to anything it could get its mitts on. Lately, Netflix has lost its sense of entropy, thanks to a dwindling library of movies and a big push towards original content. Or that’s how it feels until you look in Netflix’s “Special Interest” category.
Its contents bear no resemblance to the phrase “Special Interest,” or much in common with each other. Bob Ross competes with a religious life coach. A David Blaine special and a nature documentary share real estate with a knockoff Yule log. By all indications, this forgotten category is Netflix’s junk drawer.
Even Netflix does a little spring cleaning once in a while though. A Twitter search reveals two things: 1) how few people have ever bothered to look at this strange corner of the site, which appears to have existed since 2008 and 2) that “Special Interest” at one point contained shows about bellydancing, knife fighting, historic pubs, as well as various Shakespeare plays and a kama sutra tutorial. None of these are present among the 32 current titles, though we reached out to Netflix to see if there is any rhyme or reason to how things end up in this category.
Now knowing what “Special Interest” has lost over the years, let’s see what it currently has to offer. How about a seven-hour train ride from Bergen, Norway to Oslo in real time? Or a full hour of jellyfish doing exactly what it is jellyfish do? Or three fireplaces each filmed at a different time of day? As someone who almost exclusively uses Netflix to fall asleep, “Special Interest” is an absolute goldmine.
Like most internet properties, Netflix likes to guess what I’m looking for before I even know it. Amazon finds books for me. Facebook serves me ads for things I’ve only mentioned in a passing text message. Google autocompletes my searches for everything except porn. Refreshingly, the “Special Interest” category is so far afield I suspect clicking anything in it will give the recommendation engine some sort of aneurysm.
Below are the current 32 titles in the category which you can use to end your next lazy date night or literally never look at for as long as you live:
Fireplace For Your Home: Birchwood Edition
Fireplace For Your Home: Classic Edition
Moving Art: Underwater
Moving Art: Forests
Moving Art: Oceans
Moving Art: Waterfalls
Moving Art: Flowers
Moving Art: Deserts
Bob Ross: Beauty Is Everywhere
Chill With Bob Ross
Your Brush With Nature
Winning Life’s Battles With Joyce Meyer
Finding Your Element
Starting Over With Andy Stanley
Fifty Shades of They With Ed Young
#DeathToSelfie With Pastor Steven Furtick
NatureVision TV: Collection One
Ocean Mysteries With Jeff Corwin
Ocean Wonders
David Blaine: What Is Magic?
International Street Art
Slow TV: Train Ride Bergen to Oslo
Slow TV: Salmon Fishing
Slow TV: The Telemark Canal
Slow TV: National Firewood Morning
Slow TV: National Firewood Evening
Slow TV: National Firewood Night
Slow TV: National Knitting Evening
Slow TV: National Knitting Night
