In the four years in between Seasons 5 and 6 ofBlack Mirror, the world shifted quite a lot, in numerous different ways. Changes to technology mean that the newest season of the hit TV show might be perceived differently than those in the past, but even before this most recent season, viewers were responding differently to the newer seasons than they were to the old ones. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the first two seasons aired on the British TV network Channel 4, before the show was bought out by Netflix, where the next 4 seasons were aired.
While the earlier Netflix seasons were well-received, the same can’t be said for all of theepisodes of Seasons 5 and 6. A lot of fans have pointed to a significant dip in quality over the past few seasons, which has started a discussion about whether or not Netflix acquiring the show was a good thing. Often, a big company buying out a smaller production leads to it losing some of the qualities that made it feel so special and unique in the first place. Is this what happened withBlack Mirror, or was the Netflix buyout actually a smart move all along?
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When Did Netflix Buy Black Mirror?
The first season ofBlack Mirroraired on Channel 4 in 2011, with a second season and a Christmas special following in 2013 and 2014, respectively. In 2015, Netflix brokered a deal to purchase the series and air it on their streaming service instead of the UK television network. They commissioned a series of 12 episodes, which was then split into two seasons of 6 episodes each. The first of these seasons aired in 2016, making up Season 3 ofBlack Mirror, and the second set of 6 episodes was released in 2017 as Season 4.The show has lived on Netflixsince that point, releasing two more seasons in the following years.
Do Fans Like The Netflix Black Mirror Seasons?
While there has been more criticism of the recent Netflix seasons, the first two to be put on the streaming service were very well-received. There are a lot of episodes in those batches that areconsidered series bests, such as “Nosedive”, “Shut Up and Dance”, “San Junipero”, and “USS Callister”. The third season especially is looked upon pretty favorably and has a lot of strong concepts within its episodes.Black Mirrorepisodes live or die by their concepts, as the whole point of the show is to showcase the horrors of technology going too far, and having a unique premise is what gets viewers hooked in the first place. The storylines are creative and gripping, with only a couple of duds in the mix of Seasons 3 and 4.
However, Seasons 5 and 6 didn’t get quite as warm of a welcome, and fans were more critical of the stories to come out of these most recent seasons. Season 5 was short, comprised of only three episodes, and none of these three episodes were particularly lauded. At most, it seems that a lot of fans saw them as decent, if unimpressive. Season 6 has had mixed reviews, with some episodes feeling quite mediocre, and others having solid concepts and executions. Season 6 does, however, include one episode (“Mazey Day”) that has been labeled asone of the show’s worst, as the story itself takes a wacky turn and overall doesn’t really fit the criteria of what makes aBlack Mirrorepisode what it is.
Has Black Mirror Gotten Worse?
The question of whether the show has actually decreased in quality or not is a tough one to answer, mostly because it’s at least partially subjective and depends on a viewer’s personal preference, as each episode tackles a different issue and has a different tone from the others. Those who enjoy the morehorrifying and edgy episodes ofBlack Mirrormight be disappointed with the slightly more tame direction it’s gone in over the last 2 seasons, while others might actually prefer that. There are a few episodes in Season 6 that are an improvement on the overall mediocre fare that Season 5 provided, so the criticism might just be towards a temporary dip.
It’s also possible that the show has just started to overstay its welcome. Any show that goes on for too long falls into this trap, as it’s difficult to keep up the same level of quality for seasons upon seasons. It’s only natural thatBlack Mirrormight simply run out of ideasone day, which could be where things are headed. The world has also changed a lot over the course of the show’s run, and with new technological advances every day - some of which, like the rise of AI, are presenting real-life horror stories - the show starts to feel less and less speculative, but also less innovative. One of the initial draws ofBlack Mirrorwas that it showed what could happen if technology went too far, but it feels like that’s what society is living with every day now. Perhaps the novelty has just started to wear off, and the world isn’t quite as receptive to the concept ofBlack Mirroras it used to be.
