Emmy award-winning show Black Mirror is about to be even more interesting for its upcoming season. Bloomberg reported that the streaming giant, Netflix, is helming an episode of the dystopian-themed television show where viewers can pick their own adventure.
The hit British anthology, which was originally produced by Channel 4, showcases the theme of the social ramifications of technology. Aptly, the show serves perfectly for the streaming giant’s goal — to delve into interactive television programming and to expand and entice its current viewers.
Considering the launch dates of previous Black Mirror seasons, it was speculated that Season 5 would be released in December. Viewers can expect a choose-your-own-adventure type of entertainment that would somehow mimic the experience of traditional video games. This, however, does not mean that the streaming company is exploring the creation of video games, contrary to other reports.
Sources of the reported episodes were not named by Bloomberg since the plans are strictly confidential, and word is that Netflix is currently working not only for TV shows but for movies as well.
Last August, Black Mirror creators Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones told the Hollywood Reporter that they are experimenting with different genres for the show’s next season.
“We try to do things that are markedly different from what we’ve done before, so I think hopefully we’ve got that,” Brooker told the outlet, to which Jones added, ” I have to say, we’ve picture-locked the first one, and it’s good. It’s really good. [Next season] will be new and different.”
People involved in the project were believed to be running their feet off for the release of the interactive Black Mirror season since it would be a huge hit for the company. With the branching plots that it has to offer, it would take a considerable amount of work — from script to production — just to craft a single episode.
It wasn’t the first time that the streaming service delved into interactive TV programming. Last year, Netflix released Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale , an interactive television experience for kids where they get to pick different narratives with Puss in Boots from Shrek taking the role as the main character. Black Mirror, however, is the first adult TV show to be explored by Netflix.
Netflix’s rigid competitor, HBO, has also gone overboard the interactive television experience with Steven Soderbergh’s Mosaic released just this year.