Disney Plus is — unsurprisingly — one of the best streaming services we've tested. But it was lacking a key feature that makes streaming services like Netflix and Hulu superior when it comes to finding something new to watch.
I'm, of course, talking about the top 10 list, which I'd argue is one of Netflix's most beloved features. If you need something new to watch, there's nothing simpler than just checking out what's trending.
Thankfully, though, Disney Plus has finally corrected this omission. The streaming service finally launched a top 10 list on October 30 and now you can easily see what's currently the top picks on the platform.
However, it's far from perfect.
Here's how the Disney Plus top 10 feature could get better
To be fair, Disney Plus isn't the only Disney streaming service to not nail the top 10 list. Disney also owns Hulu, and its top 15 is ... well, for starters, it's not a top 10. It's also not always available to view on the streaming service's home screen, which is a befuddling choice.
Disney seems to be set in the idea that it needs to do something different than Netflix when it comes to the top 10 list feature. According to our reporting on the top 10 list launch, Disney's list "combines several factors, from view counts at the episode and movie level to trending popularity among recently released titles."
This is intended to personalize each subscriber's top 10 list, meaning that "titles displayed will vary based on your content rating settings, subscription plan, and location." Additionally, if you have a Disney Bundle that includes Hulu, your top 10 will include offerings from both streaming services.
I love this idea to personalize the top 10, and I do think it's a good one. It just shouldn't be the first one. There's a saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and the Netflix top 10 list ain't broke.
I want Disney Plus to just do what Netflix does, and give me a region-specific top 10 for both movies and shows. Then, give me a personalized top 10 list(s) in addition to what's currently trending. Or, just make the "Recommended for you" row currently at the top of the Disney Plus user interface this bespoke top 10 list, but then still give me a top 10 movies row and a top 10 shows row after the "Newly added" and "Continue watching" rows.
If Disney can just make those small tweaks, its UI might become the platonic ideal for finding what to watch. If my first five rows are personalized recommendations, new additions, continue watching, and then trending movies and shows, I won't need to continue on to row six. That would actually put it ahead of Netflix, which gives me just a bit more than what I need between its rows for trending movies and shows.
