If you're like me, you live in a house where each person has their own taste in entertainment. Everyone brings their likes, dislikes and “no WAYs'' to the sofa. To keep everyone in the house happy -- whether that's your partner, kids, other family members or roommates -- we’re bringing features to Google TV that will make TV a little more tailored for whoever’s sitting on the couch.

Create a space for your own tastes

Google TV profiles let everyone in your home enjoy their own personalized space with their Google Account. With a personalized profile, you’ll get TV show and movie recommendations just for you, easy access to your personal watchlist and help from your Google Assistant.

Recommendations tailored to you, and only you: As you watch TV, your profile takes into account your interests and preferences to help you discover more of what’s out there for you. And for the little ones, you can always set up a kids profile to help them access a fun collection of movies and shows under your guidance.

Access to your own watchlist: When a friend tips you off to a hot new show, you can always add it to your watchlist to save it for later. Each Google Account has its own watchlist, so your finds will show up right in your profile and stay separate from your other’s lists in your household.

Help from your Google Assistant: Ask for recommendations by saying, “what should I watch?” or get help streamlining your day by saying “show me my day.” Your profile is linked to your account’s Google Assistant, so you’ll get the personalized answers you are looking for.

And setting up a new profile is easy. Your downloaded apps and app login details will be used across profiles, so you won’t have to start from scratch each time you set up a new profile.

Stay up to date even when your TV is idle

Google TV already lets you see your favorite memories from Google Photos when your TV is idle. Now, we're making ambient mode more useful by bringing in more personalized information and recommendations at a glance. From the latest game score, to the weather, news and more, your TV will keep you up to date with info based on your profile. You can even scroll through the on-screen shortcuts to jump into your photos or start playing your music and podcasts with just a click. If you are off for a longer break, your TV will shift fully to your ambient mode’s photos or curated artwork after a few minutes.

Pick your favorite live TV service

With Google TV’s Live and For you tabs, your favorite live shows are just a click away. To give you more live TV provider options, we’ve now integrated Philo into our live TV features, in addition to YouTube TV and SLING TV. To see your shows on the Live TV tab and in your recommendations, just add your Live TV provider.

Support for profiles and glanceable cards in ambient mode will begin rolling out on Chromecast with Google TV and Google TVs from Sony and TCL soon. Profiles will be available globally, while ambient modes cards will be first available in the U.S. only. Philo is now available as an integrated live TV provider in the US. We hope all of this makes your TV feel a little moreyou.

Some features and availability may vary by OEM and/or device manufacturer.

Movies and TV can make us laugh, cry and even shape who we are. Our watchlists can be surprisingly revealing. We’re teaming up with entertainers, artists and cultural icons on a new ongoing Watch With Me series on Google TV to share their top picks and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the TV and movies that inspired them.

Writer, comedian, producer and TV host Hasan Minhaj is best known for his sharp, earnest political commentary. When he isn’t on screen tackling any number of current issues, he’s happy to sit back and rewatch one of his favorite films. 

“Movies and TV shows are an opportunity to watch something with loved ones,” Hasan says. “Whether they make you laugh or feel something deep. Or they can be a source of respite, or help you realize how big the world is.”

We sat down with Hasan to learn more about his own Google TV watchlist and discover any hidden gems he has on repeat. “To me, rewatchability is everything. So my watchlist is everything that I can watch over and over, whether it's with my wife, dad or kids. That's what's on my watchlist: Comfort food in the form of movies.”

Do you prefer watching movies alone or with others?

Hasan Minhaj: I love watching movies with people, but now that I’m a dad with two kids, I’ll watch movies any way I can when I get the chance. 

Who is the first person you call to talk about a new movie or show?

Hasan Minhaj: My best friend, Prashanth. We can get really argumentative and petty and just go head-to-head about why we love or hate something. But we’re still friends when it’s all said and done. 

What’s your must-have movie snack?

Hasan Minhaj: I like to have the best of both worlds. I go one salty, one sweet, which to me is why the Peanut M&Ms are probably one of the greatest movie snacks ever.

Do you read reviews before seeing a movie or show? 

Hasan Minhaj: No, I listen to my friends. If a friend texts me, "Hey, you have to check out ‘Ted Lasso,’" I'll check it out. 

How would you describe your watchlist?

Hasan Minhaj: I’d say it’s a guaranteed good time. I think if someone were to look at my watchlist, they would be like, "Hey, he loves movies that are really funny. He's definitely a dad. And he definitely has a soft spot for 80s, 90s and early 2000s nostalgia."

Movies and TV can make us laugh, cry and even shape who we are. Our watchlists can be surprisingly revealing. We’re teaming up with entertainers, artists and cultural icons on a new Watch With Me series on Google TV to share their top picks and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the TV and movies that inspired them.

Laverne Cox is an Emmy-nominated actress and LGBTQ+ advocate. Despite spending plenty of time on camera, she’s also a fan of being in the audience. “I love movies, I love television,” she says. “I still watch television and film as a way to learn, to escape, to be moved, to laugh, to cry.”

We recently had a chance to sit down with Laverne to learn more about what she likes to watch — and what her own Google TV watchlist looks like. “My watchlist is all of who I am and everything that has shaped me or helped me understand myself better,” she says. “Understand humanity better. Understand the craft of acting and filmmaking better. And, it makes me smile.”

To get you in the show-binge mood, we asked Laverne a few questions on how she likes to settle in for her watchlist.

What’s your go-to movie snack?

Laverne Cox: Definitely popcorn, but I also love a good tortilla chip.

What’s your favorite genre?

Laverne Cox: Suspense.

Do you watch movies alone or with other people?

Laverne Cox: It depends. I love watching films alone… but with the man I’m seeing now, it’s fun to watch stuff together and remotely when we’re apart. 

Who is your favorite person to talk to about movies and shows?

Laverne Cox: My brother! We have very different tastes, but when it collides, we have the best conversations about film. He is brilliant.

Who is your celebrity crush?

Laverne Cox: I crush on specific actors in a certain role - like James Spader in Pretty in Pink! I’ve also had a thing for Johnny Depp in 21 Jump Street. My celebrity crushes are entirely character based.

How should we watch your watchlist?

Laverne Cox: The best way to watch my watchlist is on the couch, in a black terry cloth robe that makes you feel all nice and snuggly. Make sure you’ve got some chips and cheesy dip and either warm tea or a cocktail.

Showverload — noun

Show-ver-load — shō-vər-lōd

Definition of showverload

The feeling that overcomes you when you finally sit down to watch television and are faced with too many options. 

Most of us have experienced the feeling defined above. So we built Google TV to help you easily find what to watch and soothe your showverload with recommendations tailored for you. You can find these personalized recommendations in the For You, Movies and Shows tabs, or when you search with Google Assistant.

To provide you with relevant shows and movies, Google TV factors in your watch history, your interests and your streaming services. But you know you best, so we built tools into Google TV to help you tweak your own preferences.  Do you like all sci-fi shows or just the ones with aliens? Are you an action movies buff or more into date night rom-coms? Here are five ways to tailor your Google TV experience for you:

1.Update your streaming services.  Subscribed to a new service? Check in Settings to make sure you’ve added it to your list of streaming services so you can start seeing recommendations from your newest app.

2. Use the Watchlist. Google TV uses the shows and movies on your Watchlist to learn what you like to watch. Teach Google what you like by clicking on a title to add it to your Watchlist to save it for later, or look up a hot new show on Google Search and add it to your Watchlist right from your search results so it’s on your TV when you get home.

3. Mark what you’ve watched. If you come across a movie or show you’ve seen and loved, click on the title and mark “Watched it.” Google TV will then recommend other movies and shows based on your watch history.

4. Rate movies and shows. Visit the details page of any movie or show, or long press on any recommendation to give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Google TV will use your input to figure out your preferences.

5. Tune your recommendations. Starting this week, you can help train Google TV on the big screen to give you better recommendations by sharing your preferences. In Settings, click “Content Preferences” and quickly rate a series of movies and shows to instantly refresh your recommendations. This feature will be rolling out over the next few weeks.

Google TV is currently available on the Chromecast with Google TV, and, if you prefer your big screen hits on the little screen, get the Google TV mobile app for Android phones and tablets in the U.S. While you won’t find the ability to rate and tune recommendations in the Google TV mobile app, all the tips here will work across your devices. When you use these tips, your preferences will update anywhere you use your Google account. Enjoy all the entertainment you love, with a little help from Google.