Netflix Wants Users to Watch More Documentaries

The online streaming giant is making a push toward more nonfiction options.

When you think about some of the best programming that Netflix has to offer, you tend to think more about Piper Chapman’s problems on Orange is the New Black or the always funny one-liners Titus on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – rarely do you think about hard hitting stories or reality programming that packs a punch. However, Netflix is trying to change all of that, according to Wired.

Just recently, Netflix released a show called Chef’s Table that isn’t a reality program nor is it really a cooking program. Instead, it is a case study of really great chefs from around the world that are delivering beautiful, interesting meals in restaurants. Each episode, which clocks in at about thirty minutes, centers around the life of a chef (there are six episodes) and that chef’s own style and artistic inspiration when it comes to food. The show doesn’t have a host, a voting panel, or a life audience. Instead, it is just a study of food, cooking, and the artistry. It isn’t like another other food show on the market today – by design.

It is all part of Netflix’s newest plan, to encourage more and more people to watch documentaries. A few summers ago, Netflix had a huge hit with the movies Bridegroom, a story of one couple’s fight for love and loss, and Blackfish, the true story of what goes on at Seaworld. Since then, they have been targeting more and more documentaries.

“People who have never watched a documentary in their life are watching them on Netflix,” chief content officer Ted Sarandos boasted at a recent conference.

In fact, the addition of documentaries just keeps on coming: After releasing The Other One: The Long, Strange Trip of Bob Weir this past Friday, it will add Hot Girls Wanted to its library later this week. Plus, they are working on adding in other titles and original pieces in the coming months.