Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has decided to hold off on its sixth season because of the current state of our world. Brooker, along with co-showrunner Annabel Jones, are masters of spinning fantastic tales inside of a technologically reliant society that sometimes works towards its’ characters detriment. Although the series has been a hit for many years, Brooker is holding off on releasing a new season with some very logical reasons in mind.
Since its debut in 2011, Black Mirror has been weaving tales of our society’s technology addiction and the ways it either brings us together or tears us further apart. With its creative anthology storytelling reminiscent of classic series The Twilight Zone (which Brooker counts as an influence), Black Mirror dives into a wide range of stories primarily written by Brooker but also featuring talented writers like Michael Schur, Penn Jillette, and Rashida Jones. Beginning exclusively on Britain’s Channel 4 during its first two seasons, in 2014 the show made its jump to Netflix where it found a huge following after debuting season 3. Some of Black Mirror‘s most notable episodes featured Jurassic World‘s Bryce Dallas Howard in a tale about a woman desperate for acceptance and Black Panther‘s Leticia Wright and Joker‘s Dennis Hodge starring in the ultimate revenge story. Others who have played inside the dark and twisty world of Black Mirror include Jon Hamm, Anthony Mackie and Miley Cyrus as an expletive charged robotic version of herself.
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However, with the current state of our world due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brooker isn’t ready to continue telling such expansive stories about society’s potential downfall. In an interview with Radio Times, Brooker was very candid with his reasoning for not rushing to get the anticipated season 6 out to fans anytime soon, choosing to focus his talents on other ventures instead:
At the moment, I don’t know what stomach there would be for stories about societies falling apart, so I’m not working away on one of those. I’m sort of keen to revisit my comic skill set, so I’ve been writing scripts aimed at making myself laugh.
Although Black Mirror‘s tone can become a bit morose through its storytelling, there are a few lighter episodes that showcase Brooker’s comedic side such as Season 4’s critically acclaimed “USS Callister”. The episode revolved around an awkward office worker wreaking havoc as a villainous virtual version of himself before getting what he deserves at the end. However, even though Brooker co-wrote the episode, those funny moments are few and far between. The bulk of Black Mirror deals with the consequences our world faces in the aftermath of technology gone wrong. And right now, Brooker is taking his focus away from Black Mirror to work on some other projects, though he’s remaining tight lipped about exactly what he’s working on.
Of course, fans are heartbroken knowing Black Mirror will be taking a break, especially after only receiving three episodes in season 5. However, there are plenty of seasons to binge in preparation for when Brooker gets back to writing season 6. Also, if Brooker is indeed returning to his comedy roots, he may have something lighter to offer fans soon. All seasons of Black Mirror, including the affiliated film Bandersnatch, are streaming on Netflix now.
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