Sometimes a movie or show is so exceptional that a simple thumbs up or down just won’t cut it. Netflix is aiming to solve that problem with its new “two thumbs up” rating option, which will give viewers the ability to express when something is truly special.
Netflix retired its five-star rating system about five years ago, replacing it with the much more streamlined and simplistic “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” options the service has today. The “two thumbs up” option will join the fray and allow users to provide valuable insight into what’s trending and landing well with subscribers. The company says this will allow it to offer improvements to content recommendations all around.
“We’ve heard from members that there’s a difference between something they liked — and something that they really loved,” said Christine Doig-Cardet, Netflix’s director of product innovation. “We’re giving them more control and agency over what is being shown to them.”
In case you’re wondering, Netflix isn’t looking to add a “two thumbs down” option any time soon. Doig-Cardet feels that the three options available now should “strike the right balance of simplicity with giving enough range of emotion.”
Netflix’s choice to go with “two thumbs up” may sound like a rip-off of movie critics Siskel and Ebert’s classic rating of shared approval, but the company says it’s merely a coincidence. Either way, even the phrase itself should bring back fond memories for fans of the beloved reviewing duo.
Netflix’s “two thumbs up” option began rolling out Monday and will continue to do so over the course of this week on all platforms. Once you have access to it, chase down some top-tier content worth two thumbs up by checking out the Best Movies on Netflix Right Now.
Billy Givens is a freelance writer at IGN.
