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Credit: NBC
Given that my job is to cover streaming services for What to Watch, I often have to start far more TV shows than I could feasibly finish. However over the years, I’ve found a fool-proof way of weeding out the best Netflix shows that doesn’t take any time.
This ‘test’ lets me watch just a single episode of a series on Netflix, be it an original creation or something the streamer added, and determine whether it’s an addictive binge or just another forgettable piece of ‘content’ for the streamer.
Admittedly, not a single series from 2025 has passed this test, but that says more about the streamer’s own quality rather than the efficacy of this test. So without further ado, let me introduce the Seinfeld Test…
The Seinfeld Test
Credit: NBC
One of the most popular draws for any streaming service remains the box-set comedy. In the early days of Netflix people would sign up just to watch The Office and now, entries like Parks & Rec, Superstore and The Peep Show remain easy binge watches that keep people coming back (depending on country, those shows aren’t necessarily all on Netflix).
For me, this series is Seinfeld, which is on Netflix in the US, UK and Australia, with all 9 seasons available to view. I’ve seen it before, and I’ll see it again, but it’s one of my favorite comedies (my actual favorite, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, isn’t available on the ad-supported tier of Netflix which I use, and anyway I’ve seen it far too many times at this point!).
So what’s the Seinfeld Test?
Every time I boot up Netflix, one of the first things I see is the ‘Continue Watching’ bar. This will, of course, include Seinfeld, but usually after one or two of the various Netflix shows I’ve tested. I like the classic comedy but I’m not such an addict that I’m watching it every day.
The Test, though, is what I’ll click when I see this carousel. If I’m genuinely interested in a show, to see where its story takes it or how the characters develop, I’ll click on the next episode to continue the series. If not, I’ll click Seinfeld to sink back into my comfort show.
A problem with the test
The Studio is one of the shows this year that I watched all the way through. | Credit: Apple TV Plus
My test works because while I like Seinfeld, I’m not addicted to it, and I’d gladly watch something else if it gripped me. There are a few series I’ve gotten really stuck into this year like Andor season 2, Foundation season 3, The Studio and High Potential (which only came to the UK this year, so I’m counting it, but I’ve already started season 2).
The problem is that none of these series have been Netflix ones. In fact, not a single series has passed the test this year. Many series I start fail the test because they just don’t make an impression on me, and an increasing number of Netflix Originals this year have actively irked me for one reason or another (most recently was Untamed because of how Eric Bana’s character is told he’s alcoholic yet in the first episode we never see him drink, and it’s funny watching how hard the show tries to bend over backwards to avoid showing him imbibe).
The last Netflix series I finished was Black Doves from last year, and even that I totally forgot about until writing this article (as the similarly-titled Black Rabbit just came out).
And my test doesn’t apply for movies, which you sit down and finish in one go. I’m more of a film fan anyway, although Prime Video is still my go-to for those.
Of all What to Watch’s writers, I’m probably the most down on Netflix — every time the editor-in-chief asks if I’ve seen anything good to see on the streamer, to add to our round-ups, the answer is invariably “no” — and I’d say this test is probably to blame, having highlighted how I’d rather watch a 35-year-old show that I’ve seen before, rather than whatever Netflix has out this week.
Hopefully that’ll change before the year is out. Stranger Things season 5 and A Man on the Inside season 2, both in November, return shows I’d previously binged, which is probably the streamer’s best bet of beating the test.
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