We all know the feeling of endlessly browsing Netflix trying to find something to watch. A new site has taken this one step further by featuring, entirely, shows and movies that are impossible to watch.
This is because they’re not actually real – they’re the fictional TV shows and movies featured within famous TV shows and movies. They’re “nested” fiction if you will – hence the name of the site, “Nestflix”, and the logo that’s clearly inspired by Russian nesting dolls. In all other respects, it's almost eerily identical to the interface of popular streaming services like Disney+ (opens in new tab).
The site was created by web designer Lynn Fisher (opens in new tab), and it makes for a surprisingly addictive browse. It lets you lose yourself in listings for the likes of Horsin’ Around (opens in new tab), The Itchy and Scratchy Movie (opens in new tab) and The Rick Dalton Collection (opens in new tab). These are, of course, from BoJack Horseman, The Simpsons and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, respectively.
Twitter users have fallen in love with the site, as a glance at the creator's replies will attest to:
Holy wow this is incredible! Netflix ought to greenlight many of theseAugust 11, 2021
Oh this is fabulous https://t.co/faxass0pfVAugust 12, 2021
This might be the single greatest pop culture idea I've ever seen 😂😂😂😂 Please tell me "Due North" from @insecurehbo is included on this page https://t.co/lqa1TuhmOPAugust 12, 2021
The attention to detail in the design is really on point; it looks and feels pretty much exactly like browsing Netflix, with synopses, cast lists and stills for each of the featured titles. Fisher took the time to add a working search function, genre sections and a contribute page where viewers can submit their own suggestions for shows to add. There are more than 400 titles on there already!
Fisher has some criteria for what can and can’t be added to the site. The shows and films have to be fictional, of course, and have to be shown in actual footage, not just glimpsed in an on-screen poster. Submissions also can’t be fictional news or morning chat shows – though Fisher says this might change in the future.
We do take issue with the fact that Fisher has included the short film A Burns for All Seasons (opens in new tab), which famously was met with cries of boo(urns) at the Springfield Film Festival, but has not yet added Hans Moleman’s visionary entry to the same festival, Man Getting Hit by Football (opens in new tab).
But otherwise, Nestflix is a fun bit of web design that you can lose yourself in browsing for a while. We’ll be dreaming of a world where Joey Tribbiani's Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E. (opens in new tab), Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season (opens in new tab) and the Galaxy Quest (opens in new tab) TV show were really made.
If you're inspired by this chic bit of web design and fancy making a site of your own, check out our guide to 25 top-class website templates (opens in new tab) for a great place to start.
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