A series that keeps its fans waiting
Black Mirror stormed British television in 2011 and conquered the rest of the world a few months later. Fans then waited almost a year and a half for the second season and nearly two years for the Christmas special. In short: the audience wants much more of Black Mirror — and right now, the service with the sharpest eye for quality series is Netflix. The online service has already confirmed twelve additional episodes, and the first six will explode on our screens starting on October 21.
We can all agree that the British approach to making television is very different from what we see in the American market. Short seasons, very long delays, and information doled out in drips keep fans in an almost constant state of desperation. Anyone who visits Tumblr occasionally knows exactly what shows like Sherlock generate — ten episodes in six years. Doctor Who managed to escape those gaps a bit, though with the Rio Olympics in the middle, the BBC chose to redirect a good chunk of its resources to that event, leaving Doctor's followers in a black hole until the next Christmas special. And what about other works, like Black Mirror? More than once we thought it was over, but its 2014 special kept the flame of a theoretical continuation alive. Well... here it is:
Netflix goes all in
And who else could it be besides Netflix? When traditional, inflexible, virtually obsolete networks retreat to hide in their castles, the online service doubles down, and it's winning. Black Mirror. Present. Future. Science fiction. Reality. Its creators have masterfully melted the barriers separating these terms, "doping" that mixture with the hyperconnectivity that surrounds us, and of course, highlighting in every opportunity the inherent weakness of the human being. The new Netflix trailer announces what will be the third season, however, its fourth installment has already been confirmed for 2017, raising the number of additional episodes to twelve.
When I said Netflix "doubles down" on Black Mirror, I'm not exaggerating. After several rumors pointing to an adaptation for the American market, in March 2016 Netflix put 40 million dollars on the table. That magic number turns Black Mirror into a new "internal production" for the service (even though it also qualifies as a continuation), following the style of House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Stranger Things. The first episode of the third season will reach all users' screens on October 21.
