Will Arnett's 'Netflix Live' Special Is Oddly Hypnotizing

Anyone who’s ever wanted to know what it would be like to watch Will Arnett narrate a microwaving burrito in real time is in luck, thanks to Netflix Live. It’s an (almost) April Fool’s Day knock on the growing popularity of “live” social media features like Facebook Live, with which users can begin a live stream at any time to showcase any mundane part of their lives. Judging by its reception so far, Netflix Live is a resounding success.

The actual program, is vaguely described with the blurb, “With Netflix Live, you can experience life’s biggest thrills, right from the comfort of your couch.” Only these are hardly thrills, and the show is hardly live. It’s about 50 minutes of prerecorded footage of Will Arnett narrating the humdrum daily events of the Netflix office in real time, delivering off-the-cuff commentary in his trademark serious tone.

The live special has been feeling the love all over the internet.

Sites like Reddit and Twitter are blowing up with praise for the show. “Did I need to watch Will Arnett narrate a microwaved burrito?” asks one user on the r/television subreddit. “No, but it was amazing.”

And it’s no wonder that’s the case. At some point during the nearly hour-long special, it becomes compelling in a way that’s hard to describe, as Arnett riffs on topics from parallel parking to thumb wrestling.

Despite what some have said, Netflix has yet to make clear how long the special will be available for viewing. Reports and claims that it will only be up for 24 hours are, as-yet, unverified, and hopefully not true, because it’s worth a rewatch. Although one has to admit, having the show disappear after only a day would be a fitting way for Netflix to conclude its trolling of Facebook Live.

The show ends with instructions to “tune in tomorrow for full coverage,” perhaps hinting at actual live coverage by Arnett for the full day. For now, viewers can enjoy Will Arnett’s musings about life while looking at a shot of growing grass.