I don't have this issue at all. All my recommendations are pretty accurate and I don't see much mindless content. I have been using YouTube for years now, have over 1000 videos on my Watch Later list, and probably watch multiple hours of YouTube a day. Maybe it just knows me better.

The only thing that works for me is to say that I dont want any recommendations from that channel. It seems brutal at first but actually I think it's entirely fair and solves the problem. If a channel posts a video about why the S23 is the best phone to buy then I can safely ignore that entire channel. The likelihood of him also posting christian documentaries into the same channel is basically zero.

recently, I started getting videos with less than 500 views from tiny channels. I guess YT is trying to be fair and send traffic to those channels. But I felt those videos were just clickbaits. That's one problem with the algorithm.

Positives of YT, mentioned in other comments also: Algorithm is very good in general. Quality of content is good lately (or at least you can stick to such content). Easily replace Netflix time. Comments section is also good. YT Premium is worth it.

YT almost got beaten by Insta and TikTok but survived. And the YT app on a smart TV is much better than Netflix and others.