Netflix’s Kaleidoscope has renewed interest in experimental movies and series. The crime thriller TV show offers audiences a fun gimmick in its structure, allowing viewers to watch episodes in any order. This unique approach may have you searching for more interactive or experimental movies and series, which thankfully Netflix has a few of.
Not all of these titles give a satisfying narrative experience like Kaleidoscope, but they do provide a way to change up your typical home viewing experience.
Netflix’s best experimental movies and shows
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
One of the best-known Netflix experiments is a Black Mirror standalone movie titled Bandersnatch.
The story follows a young programmer in the 1980s who starts to question reality as he adapts a dark fantasy into a video game. Like all Black Mirror stories, this one questions our relationship with technology, by allowing the viewer to choose their own adventure, kind of like an interactive game – unironically.
Triviaverse
Triviaverse is a bit more of a game on Netflix, rather than a traditional TV show or movie, but it’s a fun experiment nonetheless. Triviaverse allows players to complete trivia questions in quick-fire rounds across a range of categories either solo or against a friend.
You vs Wild
If you’ve ever fancied yourself a survival expert after watching too much Bear Grylls, now is your chance to prove it.
You vs Wild is an interactive series from Netflix. In a similar way to Bandersnatch, it gives you timed prompts with options to select and choose your path. In this case, you’ll be on adventures in the wild with Bear Grylls, making decisions that will help him survive.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs The Reverend
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt starring Ellie Kemper was one of Netflix’s first originals back in the day. For reasons unknown, Netflix decided to go the interactive movie route for the sequel, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs The Reverend.
The movie sees Kimmy as a successful children’s author, preparing to marry Prince Frederick. But before all that, she has to face her past and therefore the Reverend, the man who kept her locked in a bunker for 15 years.
This interactive experience is worth checking out just to see how it utilises its main characters in alternative ways, particularly if you’re a fan of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Escape the Undertaker
An interactive Netflix meets WWE crossover, Escape the Undertaker is a short 30-minute experience with a spooky horror vibe. It’s up to you to help The New Day survive the Undertaker’s creepy mansion, with a number of different crossroads and alternative endings available based on your choices.
Following the likes of its interactive specials and now Kaleidoscope it’s unclear where Netflix will go next with its range of experimental programming. But no doubt it will continue to surprise us.
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