Frequently asked questions
Backlot lives next to the Netflix player and answers three questions without a pause: who is on screen, what happened last time, and what is going on in the scene. The answers below cover setup, privacy, pricing, and the odd thing that can go wrong. For anything else, the contact details are on nimit.dev.
Getting started
What is Backlot?
A free Chrome extension that adds an X-ray-style panel next to the Netflix player. It shows the full cast in the current scene, a spoiler-safe recap of where you left off, and a chat about what's happening on screen. Posters and filming locations show up alongside the answers.
How do I install it?
Add it from the Chrome Web Store, open any Netflix watch page, and the panel appears in the side panel. No account or setup needed.
Which browsers, and where on Netflix?
Chrome 105 and newer, plus Chromium browsers (Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera). Web only. It activates on netflix.com watch pages and stays quiet everywhere else.
Do I need an account?
No. Install it and it works. The only thing tied to an email is a Backlot Pro subscription, and only if you choose to keep using Ask after the free trial.
What's in the panel
What do the three tabs do?
Cast lists everyone in the shot, resolved to the exact episode, with a tap through to IMDb or Instagram. Catch me up writes a primer for the last few episodes so you can jump back in. Ask answers questions about the scene, grounded in the real cast list and clamped to your playhead.
Will it spoil things?
Ask is clamped to your playhead and Catch me up only covers earlier episodes. Neither leaks what's coming unless you ask outright.
Where does the cast come from?
From The Movie Database (TMDB), resolved to the exact episode so guest stars and anthology splits are correct, not a generic show-level list.
Privacy and data
What does Backlot see about my Netflix?
Nothing about your account or history. Ask sends only the show, episode, and timestamp keyed to an anonymous device ID. Cast comes from TMDB, and Catch me up runs entirely on-device with Chrome's built-in AI, so zero bytes of viewing history leave the browser. The full detail is in the Privacy Policy.
Does Catch me up send my viewing history anywhere?
No. It runs on your device using Chrome's built-in AI. Nothing about what you watch leaves the browser.
Pricing and Backlot Pro
Is Backlot free?
Yes. Cast and Catch me up are free forever. Ask, the AI chat, is free for 30 days at up to 5 messages a day. After that, keeping Ask needs a Backlot Pro subscription.
What does Backlot Pro cost?
$2.99 a month or $24.99 a year (about 30% off), billed via Dodo Payments. India is priced at ₹99 a month or ₹799 a year. Dodo Payments is our Merchant of Record, so they handle the transaction and remit any local taxes (VAT, GST, sales tax) at checkout based on your billing location.
What happens after the 30-day Ask trial?
Everything except Ask stays free forever. On day 31 (or the 6th message of a trial day) the paywall appears, and Backlot Pro lifts it.
How do I cancel, and can I get a refund?
Cancel any time from the "Manage subscription" link inside the Ask tab, which opens the Dodo Payments customer portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and you keep Pro until then. If you cancel within 7 days of a charge and have barely used Pro, email hello@nimit.dev for a full refund. The full policy is in the Terms.
Troubleshooting and uninstall
The panel isn't showing up.
It only appears on a Netflix watch page (a netflix.com/watch URL) in a supported browser. Make sure you are on the web player rather than a TV or mobile app, and that the browser is Chrome 105 or newer or a Chromium browser.
Ask says the AI service is unavailable.
Ask depends on a third-party AI service (currently Google Gemini), which can be briefly rate-limited or down. Give it a moment and try again.
How do I uninstall? What about my Pro?
Chrome → Extensions → Backlot → Remove. Pro is independent: manage or cancel it from your receipt email, and re-install then sign in to bring it to a new machine.