With a show like Black mirror, it seems appropriate to say that we have good news and bad news: the dystopian science fiction show, which often starts with utopian promises before heading into darkness, returns with exciting news for fans and also bad news for fans.
Let’s start with the bad news: the return of Black mirror as season seven, originally scheduled for late 2024, is now scheduled for 2025, meaning we now finally have a solid date to look forward to streaming the best Netflix series.
*clicks punishment button*
The good news: of the six episodes coming to the top streaming service, there is Black mirror‘s very first sequel. A sequel to season four’s excellent USS Callister episode (better known as the Star Trek parody), starring Jessie Plemons.
*gives the show one million credits*
Here’s what we know so far.
What can you expect from Black Mirror Season 7
According to The Hollywood Reporterthe sequel to USS Callister will be one of six episodes included in season seven. USS Callister was the first episode of season four, which while not one of the best Black Mirror episodes, still stands out as one of the most beloved with a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
In the upcoming sequel, it looks like Jessie Plemons’ character, reclusive programmer Robert Daly, is no more. “Robert Daly is dead, but for the crew of the USS Callister, their troubles are just beginning,” says Netflix. The crew’s ship is the set of a massively multiplayer online game in which the DNA of real people is used to create their in-game clones; I’m not going to post any spoilers here, but this is Black Mirror, so of course things aren’t going well.
Netflix is currently in tease mode. On X/Twitter (see below) it simply said that there are “six new stories, but one looks a little familiar. Black mirror returns 2025″.
Six new stories, but one looks a little familiar. Black Mirror returns to 2025. pic.twitter.com/uJmpxEhZH4March 14, 2024
The sixth season of Black mirror received mixed reviews during its run. Some episodes were hailed as instant classics, while others were accused of being built around tired genre tropes. This is reflected in their Rotten Tomatoes scores: 94% for Joan is Awful, 87% for Loch Henry, 81% for Beyond The Sea, a relatively poor 60% for Mazey Day and a triumphant finale with the 100% rated Demon 79. Digital spy editor David Opie wasn’t shy about criticizing the low-scoring Mazey Day, claiming it was one of the worst episodes in the show’s entire history – though he did say Demon 79 was one of his all-time favorites.
I’m reminded of another show here: Stories about the unexpectedthe British series that ran from 1979 to 1988 and spawned a short-lived American equivalent, Exit That Black mirror is often compared to it. What started as a Roald Dahl solo vehicle was expanded to include other writers (Dahl himself left the show after the third season) over its nine seasons, and while it is fondly remembered, it was also wildly variable in terms of quality . Even the legendary Lambs to the Slaughter episode, which used a clever and now famous device to allow a character to literally get away with murder, has an odd pacing and structure.
It turns out that creating dystopian, twisty fiction gets harder the longer you do it – so it’ll be interesting to see if Black mirror sseason seven is more of a Demon 79 than a Mazey Day.
Season seven of Black mirror will be released on Netflix in 2025.