An exciting Black Mirror season 7 update teases a massive overhaul to the anthology series’ approach to storytelling. Created by Charlie Brooker, Black Mirror is the 2010s’ answer to The Twilight Zone. Mired in the tradition of speculative fiction, the genre-spanning series’ many episodes are generally set in the near-future, chronicling how advancements in, and reliance on, technology have damaged or irrevocably changed humanity. Aside from a few notable exceptions — namely, the Emmy-winning Black Mirror season 3 episode “San Junipero” — the show generally veers into the harrowing territory of pessimism and despair.

The first two seasons of Black Mirror, and its 2014 special, “White Christmas,” aired on Britain’s public broadcast station Channel 4, but after the series surged in popularity on streaming, the program moved to Netflix for season 3. Following the release of the three-episode Black Mirror season 5, Brooker took a step back from the anthology series. In 2023, the anthology series finally returned with a five-episode sixth season. Although immensely popular, the most recent outing didn’t quite hit the highs of past seasons, which means Brooker’s fresh approach to Black Mirror season 7 could reinvigorate the show.

Black Mirror Season 7 Will Experiment With New Structures

Each New Black Mirror Episode Will Play With Form

Although viewers have wondered about Black Mirror‘s future, Netflix confirmed that the show’s seventh season is set to premiere in 2025. Although the streamer and the show’s creator have been tight-lipped about the upcoming installments, Charlie Brooker has revealed some exciting changes to Black Mirror season 7’s formula. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Brooker admitted that he’s committed to the series, saying, “there’s so much variety, so [Black Mirror is] in many ways inexhaustible.“ Given that most of Black Mirror‘s entries are standalone stories that share thematic threads, Brooker couldn’t be more right.

At the same time, Black Mirror‘s episodes can vary greatly in quality. That’s the risk a showrunner takes when pushing the envelope, but there’s no denying that Black Mirror season 6’s episodes made a comparatively smaller mark on viewers than previous outings. In order to keep audiences hooked, Brooker knows innovation is crucial. To that end, Black Mirror season 7 will experiment with different formats. By virtue of the show’s twisty nature, Brooker hasn’t revealed much else, but a variety of narrative approaches and structures will certainly compliment the show’s diversity of tones and themes.

Past Seasons Of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror Have Always Been Inventive

Episodes Like USS Callister & Bandersnatch Have Already Played With New Structures

Although Black Mirror‘s is a shared universe — dystopian settings, a focus on futuristic technology, and tons of Easter eggs connect episodes — the anthology’s many installments have explored a real breadth of genres. From political satires to psychological horror stories, Black Mirror has left no stone unturned when it comes to genre and tone. However, the series has previously taken a few stabs at being inventive with its story structure and format too. Most obviously, there’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, an interactive film and meta-commentary on choice that requires the viewer to make story-affecting decisions with their remote.

Bandersnatch is a great example of a story working in tandem with its format. In the episode, viewers influence the decisions of programmer Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead) as he adapts a choose-your-own-adventure book, Bandersnatch, into a video game. While working on the game, Stefan faces immense pressure, causing him to spiral and wonder if he’s being controlled by outside forces — a theme that’s also crucial to the game. In tackling the nature of free will, fate, and multiple realities, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch‘s interactive premise perfectly encapsulates the episode’s themes, which is something season 7 should replicate.

Black Mirror Season 7’s Massive Change Could Revive The Series

Black Mirror Is Going Through A Slump & Needs A Big Shake-Up

Although Black Mirror has remained immensely popular, its fifth and sixth seasons didn’t have the same resonance as some of the show’s earliest episodes — or as the high points of Black Mirror seasons 3 and 4. The series might be successful, but by its own incredibly high standards, Black Mirror feels like it has entered a bit of a slump. Inventive format changes can definitely impart the anthology series with much-needed verve. In fact, Netflix has already revealed that season 7 will contain a first for Black Mirror: a sequel that continues season 4’s “USS Callister.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter