I don't have a lot of time to watch TV. But when I do, I want to spend my time actually watching and not choosing a show. So when trying to decide what to watch on Netflix started felling like a chore, I wanted to cancel my subscription completely.
Not because there’s nothing to watch — but because there’s too much. The Top 10 rarely matches my mood, and after a long day of working, parenting and trying to keep everything together, the last thing I want is decision fatigue.
So instead of scrolling for 20 minutes (and inevitably rewatching "The Office"), I tried something different:
I asked AI what I should watch. After all, I have memory enabled, which means ChatGPT knows a lot about me and learns every time I have a conversation with it. And what it recommended actually surprised me.
The prompt I used to stop scrolling
AI is very good at defaulting to popular content unless you explicitly tell it not to. That's why taking the time to prompt it the right way can make all the difference. If you have memory enabled, you can go right into this prompt, otherwise, you'll need to share a bit about yourself (i.e. I'm a busy mom of three and work full time so I need something funny to help me unwind. I enjoy shows like "30 Rock," "The Office" and "Arrested Development").
Since ChatGPT knows a lot about me, I used this prompt: "Recommend a show or movie on Netflix I can start tonight based on what you know about me. I need something that hooks me quickly. Avoid obvious or trending picks.”
This last part matters more than you think. Otherwise, you'll get stuck with the top 10 Netflix thinks you should watch.
The recommendation I didn’t expect
Instead of something obvious, AI recommended "The End of the F***ing World." And honestly? I had never even heard of this! It’s not in Netflix’s Top 10. It’s not constantly trending on social media. And it’s not the kind of show people casually bring up.
But within one episode, I got it. This prompt worked (when Netflix's top 10 didn't) because it matched my energy and what ChatGPT knows about me — which is way more than what Netflix gains from my watch history.
Most recommendation systems push what’s popular, but AI adjusted for something more important: how I actually felt and what it knows about me. I'm tired, distracted and usually not in the mood for something heavy. That alone made a difference.
Asking AI makes a difference
There’s a big difference between watching something because it's trending or "based on what you like" and watching something based on who you are. This experiment felt effortless — exactly what I want when I'm trying to unwind. And the recommendation of "The End of the F**ing World" hooked me immediately.
It’s the kind of show you can start on a random night… and I suddenly was three episodes in without realizing it. Honestly, AI works better when it knows who you are — not just your taste.
The takeaway
I didn’t expect AI to outperform Netflix’s recommendation system — but it did. Not because it knows more content but because it understands context and you better.
Using ChatGPT was the biggest difference between endless scrolling and actually finding something I enjoyed watching immediately. Give this prompt a try and you might just discover you get way better results than scrolling Netflix's Top 10. Let me know in the comments what you think.
More from Tom's Guide
- Google’s ‘Personal Intelligence’ connects your emails, photos and purchases — and it could change how you use AI forever
- I tried the 'viral' ChatGPT prompts everyone is sharing — here's what actually works
- I wore Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses while shopping at Target — 7 things that were surprisingly useful
