“BLACK MIRROR” CREATOR CHARLIE BROOKER AFFIRMS FANS THAT WE WON’T SEE A SEASON SIX FOR A WHILE, HERE’S WHY

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By: Keaton Marcus

We just received some disappointing news. The worldwide phenomenon anthology series Black Mirror has had a good five seasons, but according to creator Charlie Brooker, we won’t be seeing a sixth for a while now. Why? Well Brooke explained that during the time of the Coronavirus, a show such as Black Mirror may be too unsettling. He said “at the moment, I don’t know what kind of attention there would be for collapsing societies, so I’m not working on that right now. I actually want to explore my comic side, so I’m working on scripts that make me laugh.” Well, I guess we’ll at least get to see a comedic show or film from the talented Brooker, but no more of the psycho-dystopian themes that Mirror gave us.

It may be time for the once critically-acclaimed show to take a break, however. Season one aired in 2011 and received rave reviews, scoring a nearly-perfect 98% “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, the excellent reviews and sleeper-hit type popularity renewed it for a season two in 2013 (a solid 87% “Certified Fresh”) which just gave Netflix more and more views. We didn’t get a season three just yet, instead we were hit with a devilishly good Christmas special dubbed Black Mirror: White Christmas (89% “Fresh”) which fueled the next season, which premiered in 2014 and kept stamina, receiving 86% on the Tomatometer. But we still had to wait another three years for the largely anticipated season four, which seemed to satisfy (85%), yet we had to wait a little bit again for number five! Instead, we got an underwhelming, though fairly decent interactive special called Bandersnatch (a so-so 72% “Fresh”) in 2018. Finally, we get the fifth season last year, which proves my point that this series was beginning to fall apart. Though scoring 68% with critics, it flopped with the fans, having a weighted average of merely 43%, far less than any other chapters. This isn’t the end of the world, but perhaps Brooker does need to tap into his comic side.

Sadly, we do need to wait some more time to see if Black Mirror really can pick up the pace after the slightly disappointing reception from the two latest installments. Bandersnatch, which was actually a movie, gave viewers the chance to decide the main character’s every move. The party gimmick lasted well for a little bit, but then grew tiresome, and it didn’t pack the punch that its predecessors so effectively did. The fifth season wasn’t exactly bad either, it was too silly, too light for such an edgy and creepy television show. Especially the earlier seasons, Charlie Brooker was a dystopian mastermind, surpassing even The Hunger Games in pure finesse. His innovativeness and his truly messed-up (yet incredible) ideas made this a success in the first place. It became one of Netflix’s most popular originals of all-time, maybe except for Stranger Things, The Crown, Tiger King and The Witcher. The show also got some serious cast members including Jon Hamm, Anthony Mackie, Miley Cyrus, Daniel Kaluuya, Bryce Dallas Howard…And Jesse Plemons! Yep, it was pretty studded.

We don’t know when exactly the sixth season will return, but because of the show’s everlasting popularity, it’s gotta happen, one way or another. It could be as soon as next year, or it could be 2025, there’s no predicting Charlie Brooker’s move, though you should be able to see more of his content soon, even if it isn’t the mind-bending Black Mirror. I know, it’s sad, but deal with it.