Netflix Party lets friends watch TV together while social distancing

There's an easy way to feel connected to your friends while social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Netflix Party is a Google Chrome extension that lets groups of friends get together virtually to watch their favorite Netflix TV shows and movies simultaneously and remotely. The extension also comes with a chat room, so participants can share their thoughts in real time on whatever is streaming.

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While Netflix Party isn't new, it's never been more appropriate. It's a great resource for people who are self-quarantining, making it a little more pleasant to "flatten the curve" of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Below are the steps to take to start your group movie night.

1. Go to Netflix Party on a Google Chrome browser and click "Get Netflix Party for free!"
2. Click "Add to Chrome" and then click "Add extension."
3. You should see "NP" appear in the top right corner of Google Chrome when it is installed.
4. Get your friends to follow the above steps and log into their Netflix accounts so you can all watch together.
5. Using Chrome, go to Netflix and pick a TV show or movie.
6. Click the "NP" button on your browser.
7. Choose if you want to be in charge of pausing, fast-forwarding and rewinding by checking the "Only I have control" box, or if you want to let everyone have those controls.
8. Click "Start the Party" and copy the URL that appears.
9. Send that link to your friends.
10. Friends need to log-in to their Netflix accounts and make sure to click the "NP" button in Google Chrome.

And from there, everyone should be able to watch together!

To handle the additional volume of users home during the coronavirus outbreak, Netflix Party added 27 servers earlier this month. 

If you're struggling with deciding what to watch on Netflix, below are some bingeable show suggestions.

• "Love is Blind"
• "Schitt's Creek"
• "The Good Place"
• "Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father"

And if all else fails, re-watch "The Office" for the millionth time.