Black Mirror Season 6 Trailer: Netflix Presents Five More Dark Reflections

Just when you thought it was safe to be on your phone again, the near-future sci-fi anthology series "Black Mirror" is returning to Netflix for season 6, with a star-studded cast and plenty more portents of doom.

Actually, though, this upcoming collection of stories won't just be another iteration of "what if phones, but too much." Creator Charlie Brooker told The Sunday Times that he's become "a bit bored" with the typical formula for the series. "I didn't want to be just hitting the same premises over and over again. Like, 'What if this app ruined your life?'" Brooker elaborated. "Or, 'Oh look! It turns out you're in virtual reality.' So there was a slight reset."

The first teaser trailer for "Black Mirror" season 6 dropped last month and teased such horrors as disco fashion and dial-up internet. There will be five episodes in the sixth season, and actors featured include Aaron Paul, Zazie Beetz, "Schitt's Creek" star Annie Murphy (pictured above as the titular Joan of the episode "Joan is Awful"), Salma Hayek Pinault, Josh Hartnett, Michael Cera, Kate Mara, and Himesh Patel. 

The title "Black Mirror" is a reference to the screens that dominate our lives today — TV screens, phone screens, tablets, etc. — but it has a dual meaning: historically, obsidian mirrors have been used as tools for scrying the future or contacting the spirit world. 

It's been four years since the last season of "Black Mirror" dropped, and in that time plenty of things have happened to make the real world feel like an episode of the show: from a global pandemic that killed millions and forced us to avoid human contact, to the recent rise of A.I.-generated art and writing, and even child labor making a comeback. This poses quite a challenge for Brooker and the other "Black Mirror" writers, but hopefully they've risen to meet it. Here are the episode titles and synopsis for "Black Mirror" season 6.

"Joan is Awful" – An average woman is stunned to discover a global streaming platform has launched a prestige TV drama adaptation of her life — in which she is portrayed by Hollywood A-lister Salma Hayek Pinault. Cast: Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek Pinault, Michael Cera, Himesh Patel, Rob Delaney, Ben Barnes.

"Loch Henry" – A young couple travel to a sleepy Scottish town to start work on a genteel nature documentary, but find themselves drawn to a juicy local story involving shocking events of the past. Cast: Samuel Blenkin, Myha'la Herrold, Daniel Portman, John Hannah, Monica Dolan.

"Beyond the Sea" – In an alternative 1969, two men on a perilous high-tech mission wrestle with the consequences of an unimaginable tragedy. Cast: Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett, Kate Mara, Auden Thornton, Rory Culkin.

"Mazey Day" – A troubled starlet is dogged by invasive paparazzi while dealing with the consequences of a hit-and-run incident. Cast: Zazie Beetz, Clara Rugaard, Danny Ramirez.

"Demon 79" – Northern England, 1979. A meek sales assistant is told she must commit terrible acts to prevent disaster. Cast: Anjana Vasan, Paapa Essiedu, Katherine Rose Morley, David Shields

"Black Mirror" season 6 will hit Netflix on June 15, 2023.