How to show Rotten Tomatoes scores on Netflix
Netflix does not show Rotten Tomatoes scores, but the free Rating Watch browser extension adds them: install it, open netflix.com, and a tomato percentage appears in the top-right corner of every title card. It works in Chrome, Edge and Brave, and needs no account. Not affiliated with Netflix or Rotten Tomatoes.
How do I see Rotten Tomatoes scores on Netflix?
- Install the Rating Watch extensionRating Watch is not on the Chrome Web Store yet, so download the Rating Watch zip from this site, unzip it, open chrome://extensions, turn on Developer mode, click Load unpacked and select the unzipped folder. It works in Chrome, Edge or Brave and needs no account.
- Open Netflix in the same browserGo to www.netflix.com and sign in as usual. If Netflix was already open, reload the tab so the extension can attach to the page.
- Look for the badge in the top-right corner of a title cardBrowse any row, search results or More Like This. Each card gets a small dark badge in its top-right corner, with a tomato icon and a percentage for the Rotten Tomatoes score.
- Read the percentage as the share of critics who liked itThe number is the Tomatometer: the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive. Rotten Tomatoes treats 60% or higher as Fresh and anything below as Rotten.
- Check the card again if no tomato appearsIf a title shows only an IMDb rating, or no badge at all, the OMDb database had no Rotten Tomatoes score for it. That is a data gap, not a bug in your install.
The full walkthrough, including the Developer mode toggle and what to do if nothing appears, is on the install page.
What does the Rotten Tomatoes percentage on Netflix mean?
The number is the Tomatometer. Rotten Tomatoes defines it on its About page as “the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive,” and says it is built from reviews by Tomatometer-approved critics and publications. A title with at least 60% positive reviews is labelled Fresh; below that it is Rotten.
The key point is that it is a share, not an average. Imagine ten critics who each call a film “decent” and give it a lukewarm 6 out of 10. All ten reviews are positive, so the Tomatometer reads 100%, even though nobody loved it. A film that eight critics rate 10 out of 10 and two pan scores 80%. So a high percentage tells you critics broadly approved, not that the film is a masterpiece.
Where do the scores come from, and why are some missing?
Rating Watch does not scrape Rotten Tomatoes. Its background worker looks each title up on OMDb, a movie-data API, and reads the Rotten Tomatoes value OMDb returns. That keeps the extension light and limits its permissions to netflix.com and omdbapi.com, but it also means the extension can only show what OMDb holds.
- No Rotten Tomatoes score: OMDb does not return one for every title. This is typical for very new releases, small titles and shows with few critic reviews. The card then shows just the IMDb rating, or nothing.
- Matching is by title name: if two titles share a name, the extension may pick the wrong one. If a score looks off, check the title and year on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Possible lag: scores are whatever OMDb has at lookup time, so a recently released title may not yet reflect its final critic tally.
Should I trust Rotten Tomatoes or IMDb on Netflix?
Use both. Rotten Tomatoes tells you whether critics approved; IMDb is an audience rating out of 10 and tells you whether viewers enjoyed it. They often disagree, and the disagreement is informative. IMDb vs Rotten Tomatoes: which rating to trust explains how the two are built and when each one misleads. If you only want the audience score, see how to show IMDb ratings on Netflix.
Frequently asked questions
Does Netflix show Rotten Tomatoes scores by itself?
No. Netflix shows its own match percentage, maturity rating and thumbs-up votes, but not Rotten Tomatoes scores. To see them on title cards while you browse, you need a browser extension such as the free Rating Watch, which adds a small badge to each card as you scroll.
Which Rotten Tomatoes score does the extension show?
It shows the critic percentage, the Tomatometer, as a tomato icon and a number such as 87%. It does not show the separate audience score. The figure comes from OMDb, so it reflects whatever Rotten Tomatoes value OMDb holds for that title at the moment the extension looks it up.
Why does a Netflix title have no Rotten Tomatoes score?
Ratings are fetched from OMDb, and OMDb does not return a Rotten Tomatoes value for every title. This is typical for brand-new releases, small titles and shows with few critic reviews. When that happens the card shows only the IMDb rating, or no badge at all if neither score exists.
Can I show Rotten Tomatoes scores on Netflix on my phone or TV?
Not with this extension. Rating Watch is a Chromium desktop browser extension, so it works on www.netflix.com in Chrome, Edge and Brave. It has not been tested in Firefox or Safari, and it cannot add badges to the Netflix app on phones, tablets or smart TVs.
Does it cost anything or need a Rotten Tomatoes account?
No. The Rating Watch extension is free, with no sign-up and no API key to enter. It requests access only to netflix.com and omdbapi.com. No Rotten Tomatoes login is needed, and the only thing the extension sends out is the title names it looks up on OMDb.