Netflix has a staggering amount of content, but it’s not always easy to find what you want.
The categories Netflix gives you access to are broad, which is made more frustrating by the knowledge that Netflix splits movies and TV shows into incredibly specific micro-categories.
Luckily, it’s pretty easy to access those ultra-specific categories. All are tagged with a number – for example, “Epics” is category No. 52858.
And once you have that code, to get a comprehensive list all you do is type it into your address bar after the word “genre,” like this: http://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/52858.
We decided to look through the list of secret Netflix genres to find you 27 of the most interesting ones. The ones we chose are a mixture of awesome, random, and just plain weird.
Carrie Wittmer contributed to an earlier version of this post.
Wine and Beverage Appreciation (1458)
Sample: "Somm" (2012). "Four sommeliers embark on an all-consuming course of study for the prestigious (and nearly impossible to pass) Master Sommelier exam."
More examples: "Sour Grapes," "Prohibition: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick," "Food, Booze, & Tattoos," "The Birth of Sake"
Steamy British Independent Dramas (4170)
Sample: "Under the Skin" (2013). "A seductive alien prowls the streets in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell, only to be consumed by a strange liquid pool."
More examples: "God's Own Country," "Postcards from London"
Cerebral Scandinavian Movies (995)
Sample: "Nymphomaniac Vol. 1" (2013). "A self-diagnosed nymphomaniac reveals a lifetime of sexual experiences to a mna who saves her from being beaten in an alley."
More examples: "Nymphomaniac Vol. 2," "The Girl King," "Rams"
Understated Horror Movies (4765)
Sample: "I Am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House" (2016). "A nervous nurse who scares easily finds herself caring for an ailing horror novelist while living in a house with hidden secrets."
More examples: "A Dark Song," "The Eyes of Mother," "Family Blood"
Critically Acclaimed Animal Tales (566)
Sample: "Happy Feet" (2006). "Unlike his pals, young penguin Mumble can't sing well enough to attract a mate, but he's blessed with an unusual gift: He can tap-dance like a champ."
More examples: "Beat Bugs," "Bee Movie," "Benji"
Social-Issue Dramas (3947)
Sample: "Mona Lisa Smile" (2003). "In 1953, the women of Wellesley College are measured by how well they marry - until the arrival of a professor who threatens to upend the status quo."
More examples: "Blood Diamond," "Free State of Jones," "Barry," "Babel,"
Inspiring Teen Movies (1349)
Sample: "The Spectacular Now" (2013). "A charismatic, hard-partying young man strikes up an unlikely romance with a smart and focused young woman during their last year of high school."
More examples: "Battle," "Candy Jar," "Holy Camp!"
Korean Crime Thrillers (434)
Sample: "Forgotten" (2017). "When his abducted brother returns seemingly a different man with no memory of the past 19 days, Jin-seok chases after the truth behind the kidnapping."
More examples: "Inside Men," "Memoir of a Murderer," "Bluebeard"
Heartfelt Sports Movies (4116)
Sample: "Raising the Bar" (2016). "A teenager who gave up her spot in an elite U.S. gymnastics program when her family moved to Australia enters a competition to help out a new friend."
More examples: "Bull Durham," "Miracle," "Undefeated"
British Coming-of-Age Movies (2386)
Sample: "About a Boy" (2002). "Hip, irresponsible Londoner Will invents an imaginary son and starts attending single-parent meetings to find available women."
More examples: "An Education," "Ginger & Rosa"
Creature Features (6895)
Sample: "Jaws" (1975). "When an insatiable great white shark terrorizes Amity Island, a police chief, an oceanographer and a grizzled shark hunter seek to destroy the beast."
More examples: "Doom," "Jaws 2," "Backcountry," "Stephanie"
Kids Faith and Spirituality (751423)
Sample: "Joseph King of Dreams" (2000). "With his gift of dream interpretation and his brilliantly colored coat, Joseph inspires jealousy in his brothers in this animated Bible story."
More examples: "The Star," two "VeggieTales" movies
Art-House Movies (29764)
Sample: "Blue Valentine" (2010). "As Cindy and Dean muddle through their languishing marriage, they hearken back to the golden days when life was filled with possibility and romance."
More examples: "Swiss Army Man," "The Lobster," "Personal Shopper"
Quirky Romance (36103)
Sample: "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004). "After learning that his ex-girlfriend had an experimental medical procedure to purge all memories of him, a man decides to do the same with her."
More examples: "Empire Records," "As Good as It Gets," "Punch-Drunk Love"
Campy Movies (1252)
Sample: "Hairspray" (2007). "In 1962, ambitious plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad tries to integrate a racially divided Baltimore one Watusi at a time."
More examples: "Scary Movie 2," "From Dusk till Dawn,"
Courtroom Dramas (2748)
Sample: "Devil's Knot" (2013). "Frothing for vengeance after three 8-year-olds are slain, the community of West Memphis, Ark., directs blame at a trio of teens suspected of Satanism."
More examples: "Closed Circuit," "Unspeakable Acts," "The Arbitration"
Movies based on children's books (10056)
Sample: "The Boss Baby" (2017). "A kid finds himself at the center of a sinister plot when his parents bring home a baby who only talks business when they're not around."
More examples: "Coraline," "Peter Rabbit," "Stuart Little"
Romantic independent movies (9916)
Sample: "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012). "After a stint in a mental hospital, Pat moves in with his parents and tries to win back his wife, until he meets a woman who's as unstable as he is."
More examples: "Last Night," "Paris Is Us," "Kicking and Screaming"
Satires (4922)
Sample: "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" (1975). "The Monty Python comedy clan skewers King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they quest far and wide for the Holy Grail."
Other examples: "Burn After Reading," "The Little Hours," "Heathers"
Period pieces (12123)
Sample: "Lincoln" (2012). "Director Steven Spielberg takes on the towering legacy of Abraham Lincoln, focusing on his stewardship of the Union during the Civil War years."
More examples: "Alias Grace," "The Frankenstein Chronicles," "Ripper Street," "Cold Mountain"
Tearjerkers (6384)
Sample: "The Notebook" (2004). "Two young lovers are torn apart by war and class differences in the 1940s in this adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' best-selling novel."
More examples: "Dallas Buyers Club," "The Pianist," "Good Will Hunting"
Teen Screams (52147)
Sample: "The Babysitter" (2017). "When Cole stays up past his bedtime, he discovers that his hot babysitter is part of a satanic cult that will stop at nothing to keep them quiet."
More examples: "Hostel," "Death Note," "Raw"
Westerns (7700)
Sample: "The Hateful Eight" (2012). "Years before the Civil War, a bounty hunter and his captive are waylaid by a Wyoming blizzard and hole up in a way station with six dicey strangers."
More examples: "Dances with Wolves," "Hostiles," "The Ridiculous 6"
Screwball Comedies (9702)
Sample: "We Need To Talk" (2016). "A happy woman's new love is going great, but she needs one thing: divorce papers from her depressed ex. To get them, trickery may be in order."
Other examples: "Chadi Jawani Budhe Nu"
Cult TV Shows (74652)
Sample: "The IT Crowd" (2006-2013). "Aided by a tech-illiterate manager, a pair of basement-dwelling dweebs makes the most of life in IT at a corporation run by a cloddish new owner."
More examples: "Trailer Park Boys," "The Twilight Zone," "Twin Peaks"
Teen TV Shows (60951)
Sample: "Atypical" (2012). "When a teen on the autism spectrum decides to get a girlfriend, his bid for more independence puts his whole family on a path of self-discovery."
More examples: "Riverdale," "Baby," "On My Block"
Showbiz Dramas (5012)
Sample: "The Truman Show" (1998). "Truman Burbank is the star of 'The Truman Show,' a 34-hour-a-day TV phenomenon that broadcasts every aspect of his life without his knowledge."
More examples: "The Devil's Mistress," "Jersey Boys," "The Aviator"
Goofy Courtroom Movies (285)
There seems to be room on the market.
Here are some other hidden categories we were saddened to see didn't have any entries at the moment:
War Alien Sci-Fi (3570), Suspenseful Time-Travel Movies (2778), Sentimental Action and Adventure (4879), MTV TV Shows (4221), and Feel-Good Education and Guidance Starring Muppets (4699).
If you want to see a longer list of genres, head to this website, where a kind soul has assembled a huge number of them. This site also provides the ability to search through them, though there are not as many categories.
