Over the last several years, word-of-mouth has helped the British series Black Mirror gain momentum around the world. The show was able to find audiences in the US thanks to Netflix, who picked up the show from Channel 4. A few months ago, Endemol Shine North America expressed interest in and was hoping to make more episodes of Black Mirror for a US audience. Now, it looks as if new episodes of the show are coming and will be headed to Netflix.
Even better news? Black Mirror showrunner Charlie Brooker is involved. Talks have evolved between Netflix and the company House of Tomorrow over the last several months, and Radio Times says all parties involved are close to announcing a deal to produce new episodes set to air on Netflix. Reports indicate that terms have been agreed upon, that Charlie Brooker is already writing new scripts for the upcoming set of episodes and that Netflix will produce multiple episodes. So, while it hasn’t been announced officially, more Black Mirror seems to be happening.
It’s been a while since new episodes of Black Mirror have been produced. Season 2 premiered way back in 2013 on Channel 4. In addition, fans of the series got a special 90-minute episode featuring Jon Hamm and Oona Chaplin that premiered in December last year. Since the special did well and since buzz has continued to be strong around the technological thriller, now would be a good time to try and get together new episodes if it is going to happen. There's no word on how many episodes could be produced, but previous seasons have featured three episodes, similar to Sherlock.
If you haven’t caught Black Mirror on Netflix (or Channel 4) yet, the series features one-off episodes featuring different characters and premises. Episodes have been favorably compared to The Twilight Zone, although episodes are often technology-oriented, featuring complex internet devices, conscious devices whose wills are broken, bicycles that keep the power going, realities where people can replay every conversation they ever had, and virtual avatars. It’s all really good stuff.
Netflix has had a pretty good track record with producing new episodes of shows that originated on traditional TV formats. Arrested Development and The Killing have both been popular for the streaming service. Plus, Netflix has new episodes of the former A&E drama Longmire set to premiere in just a few days. Black Mirror should fit right in with the rest of the lineup.
We’ll let you know when Black Mirror officially moves forward. In the meantime, here’s what Netflix (and the other TV outlets) have coming up this fall.
