>But what's a "recommender system"? Are my friends and family who understand my tastes at a deeper level than an algorithm not a "recommender system"?
Not really. "Recommender system" has a pretty narrow technical definition. It's an automated system that takes input from the user (clicks, watch time, ratings, etc.) and produces a list of recommendations.
Maybe what you don't like is the average user's preferences. People seem to like being told what to watch. If there's demand for a streaming service that dispenses with recommendations, then someone should be able to make a lot of money building it.