In what has now become grand tradition, Netflix continues to tweak our noses on April 1st. These jokes have included overly detailed categories for films, comic public service announcements and two original films composed entirely of footage of food cooking. Here’s a look back at the previous April fools jokes from Netflix in the past plus this years!
You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll get hungry.
Netflix April Fools History
In 2015, Netflix created a series of public service announcements, warning users of the “dangers of binge-watching”. Thirteen messages were created, starring actors and actresses from Netflix original programming shows and would play when subscribers viewed two episodes of the same show in a row. (This was one of my favorites.) Stars such as Michael Kelly from House of Cards told the
Stars such as Michael Kelly from House of Cards told the the viewer to go to work and Selenis Leyva from Orange Is the New Black provided a bilingual message (Spanish and English) encouraging the watcher to do their homework.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, last year we were given a long-form prank when they added overly detailed genres, all having something to do with John Stamos. “Horror Movies that give John Stamos the Heebie-Jeebies” and “Movies that make John Stamos feel emotions” were just a couple of videos on the menu. In addition to the Stamos love on the website, Netflix took to social media to proclaim its affection. They changed their profile picture on Twitter to include a photo of
In addition to the Stamos love on the website, Netflix took to social media to proclaim its affection. They changed their profile picture on Twitter to include a photo of Stamos, and teamed up with Stamos himself to post a trailer for an upcoming documentary about the actor’s life. Later in the day, we were all treated to a “leaked” expletive-filled “caught-on-camera” celebrity freak-out at the Netflix offices.
A glorious twitter fight ensued and the next day Netflix offered a formal apology to Stamos.
This year’s April Fools Joke!
Now it’s 2017 and it looks like they have already begun the shenanigans, one day early. They have unveiled their newest original program: Netflix Live.
“Toasters toasting. Grass growing. Fans blowing. With Netflix Live, you can experience life’s biggest thrills, right from the comfort of your couch.”
Yes, now you too can experience life as you have always wanted—narrated by Will Arnett. It’s a live stream of Arnett placidly commenting on random things in front of him. From a puddle to parallel parking, it’s all there. We even get a thumb wrestling match between Adam Sandler and Shannon Purser, a.k.a. Barb from Stranger Things. (I know! Right?!) 48 minutes of Arnett’s zen commentary is now yours to watch.
I hope we get even more tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what’s in store. Happy April Fool’s!
