‘Black Mirror’: 5 Reasons to Watch Netflix’s Twisted Anthology Series

Marisa Roffman October 17, 2016, 3:30 pm

Black Mirror—Britain’s twisted, prescient anthology series (think The Twilight Zone with an accent)—has more surprises in store. Executive producer Charlie Brooker weighs in on what to expect as we tick off five good reasons you should be watching.

1. A wider range of stories than ever. Season 3 consists of six new installments and contains something for everyone. “We look at it as if we’re doing separate films in different genres,” Brooker says. “We’ve got a detective drama, a coming-of-age story, a risky thriller [and a] more playful social satire.”

2. Episode supersizing. This roster boasts the show’s longest outing with the 90-minute murder mystery “Hated in the Nation.” “It’s something we’ve never done before,” Brooker teases of the Kelly Macdonald–starring tale. “That was one where we really had to sit down with index cards and work stuff out. It lends itself to that length because of its story.”

3. Familiar faces, on screen and off. An impressive roster of guest stars (including Bryce Dallas Howard, House of Cards’ Michael Kelly and Game of Thrones’ Jerome Flynn) pop up, but notable names are helping off camera too. Brooker brainstormed “Nosedive,” where every social interaction in society is graded, and reached out to series fan Rashida Jones to pen it, and she brought in her Parks and Recreation showrunner Mike Schur to help. Also ahead? An episode written and directed by up-and-coming 10 Cloverfield Lane helmer Dan Trachtenberg.

4. The hardware has been amped up. “This is probably the most high-tech season we’ve done yet,” Brooker says. “Some of the conceptual stuff would seem far out there just a few years ago.” Most of the episodes are set in the future, but one is set in the present day and “has no sci-fi element whatsoever.”

5. You can choose your own Black Mirror adventure. Just shy of the premiere, Brooker admits the episode order is still in flux. “It’s like sequencing an album,” he says. “They can go into any order, but you want the right balance and flow.” However, “people can watch them in any order.” Binge away!

Black Mirror, Premieres Friday, Oct. 21, Netflix @blackmirror