Netflix is the gateway to a universe of some of the best TV shows and movies. However, don’t be surprised if you come across some of the most bizarre shows and films on the same platform.
But we do not call them weird because the movies and series are essentially bad. We do so because while the concept or the story is unusual in some, the others seem monotonous and senseless. Even then, you will find a couple of them are highly rated by viewers and oddly watchable. From Floor is Lava to Aggretsuko, here are some of the weirdest shows on Netflix for your viewing, should you want to watch them.
Most bizarre shows on Netflix —
Sexy Beasts (2021– )
Although the concept behind the show may be a noble one — to help those who have not been able to find a date because of how they look — it takes blind dating to a whole new level. Additionally, the execution is horrible.
Sexy Beasts (the title is every bit misleading) presents real-life singles who go on a date wearing — wait for it — prosthetics of animals or any fantastical creature. It is difficult to find anything interesting in this show. It’s not surprising that the original 2014 UK show, on which this is based, could not last more than one season.
Watch it here.
Test Patterns (2014)
Perhaps Netflix still assumes that its subscribers are Einstein’s clones. Otherwise, this technological hoo-ha of a show would not even exist. Imagine staring at your screen, noting nothing but multipurpose charts and a picture of a little girl playing with musical instruments fixed at the centre.
The show has four seasons and nearly all episodes are two hours long. Apart from the charts and a mechanical voice, creating a kind of spooky countdown on a loop, there is nothing — no, nada.
According to Netflix, it is a “collection of video test patterns organised by source resolution and native frame rate.” Basically, the videos are to test your screen’s visual balance and rendering.
Watch it here.
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Michael Bolton’s Big, Sexy Valentine Day Special (2017)
Yes, the show has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes (RT), because it is perfectly silly and hilarious at the same time. It can safely be counted among the most bizarre shows on Netflix owing to its odd plotline.
Santa Clause needs 75,000 babies by Christmas to balance the toy production. What does he do? Apprises singer-songwriter Bolton of the problem. Next, Bolton organises a telethon with one objective: to inspire people to make love.
Several prominent names appear as themselves in this special, including Adam Scott, Brooke Shields, Sinbad and Janeane Garofalo.
Watch it here.
Floor is Lava (2020)
Based on the popular children’s game of the same name, this reality show is about contestants crossing a room with lava on its floor to win prizes. Competitors have to navigate through an obstacle course by clinging on to walls, leaping to catch ropes or dangle from them or other props like chandeliers and chairs.
Those who fall into the bubbling red lava are out. But wait, that’s not real lava — well, obviously. According to Newsweek, the “lava” might be made of water, modified food starch and xanthan gum.
Winners will be rewarded with US$ 10,000 and a US$ 29 lava lamp. As bizarre as any show can be, Floor is Lava has received mixed reviews from critics, with USA Today placing it with others in what is dubbed “summer of silliness”. Anyway, the show has been renewed for a second season.
Watch it here.
4 Ep Example Show for Automation (2016)
As the title suggests, there are just four episodes. Released in 2016, the episodes are also only a few seconds long. They are nothing but a demo of how Netflix’s automatic next episode play feature work.
Eager viewers of this odd show on Netflix will find scenes that are scraped from the critically acclaimed BoJack Horseman, which is available on the platform as well. As this gem among bizarre shows moves to the end, it leads us to Example Show — another weird one that is no longer on the OTT platform.
Watch it here.
Aggretsuko (2018– )
The Japanese are masters of animation, and they can also sometimes produce oddballs that are amazing despite a load of bizarreness. Aggretsuko falls in the latter category.
The animated series shows anthropomorphic characters going about their daily lives. A 25-year-old red panda named Retsuko is frustrated with never-ending office work and de-stresses by singing death metal songs at karaoke bars. Now that’s one way to let go of all your pent-up anger!
The show enjoys an RT rating of 100 percent due to its plot that follows Retsuko’s self-development. With three seasons and a special released so far, the show has been renewed for a fourth season.
Watch it here.
Moving Art (2014-19)
Created by acclaimed filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, the nineteen episodes spread over three seasons present a kaleidoscope of some of the most breathtaking natural vistas of earth.
While viewers may embrace the picturesque cinematography of cascading waterfalls and the calming depths of the oceans in the first season, the second one explores places like as Angkor Wat, Iceland, Africa and the Galapagos Islands; whereas, the magnificence of Tahiti, New Zealand and Machu Picchu is captured in the third season.
However, one might soon get bored despite the colourful palettes moving endlessly on the screen because the episodes have no narration or voice over.
Watch it here.
Sparks (2016)
A welder at work producing sparks. Yes, that’s what this test footage is all about. Just a welder, a construction site and lots and lots of golden sparks. Netflix describes the three-minute video as a “high dynamic range high frame rate test content featuring a day in the life of a welder.”
Although it reads technically fine, some might find nothing dynamic about it. It seems rather mundane, monotonous and aimless — unless that’s the whole idea behind it.
Watch it here.
Main and featured images: Netflix
Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
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