Black Mirror Season 6: Everything We Know So Far About The Return Of The Netflix Series

Big news for fans of existential dread: if the past few years existing in our current dystopian hellscape haven't been enough, then Netflix has you covered! The much-loved sci-fi anthology "Black Mirror" is set to return for a sixth season, with all the typical trappings of the Charlie Brooker-created series: dark concepts, a big budget, and a stacked cast. Once again, we'll receive various episodes (each with a new concept and cast of characters) delving into the worst of humanity via technology. After memory databases and virtual sex with polar bears, what horrors will humanity's innovations breed next?

Since the fifth season dropped on Netflix in 2019, the future of "Black Mirror" has been unclear. Series creators Charlie Brooker and executive producer Annabel Jones collaborated on the series for years through their production company, House of Tomorrow until January 2020, when they exited to establish a new company (Broke and Bones). Although they also arranged a long-term contract with Netflix, the rights to "Black Mirror" stayed with parent company Endemol Shine Group, which was later acquired by Banijay Group in the summer of that year. All of that to say that Brooker and Jones weren't able to produce any more seasons for Netflix without hammering out a deal with Banijay. After two years of radio silence on that front, fans began to assume that the era of "Black Mirror" had come to a close. But evidently, the two companies came to an agreement because season six of "Black Mirror" is official.

News of the upcoming sixth season broke very recently, so it's no surprise to learn that a release date hasn't been set. Our best bet is to expect "Black Mirror" to return sometime in 2023 (a 2022 release date would just be wishful thinking), but one thing we know for sure is where the new episodes will be available to stream. Though "Black Mirror" first began airing on the British network Channel 4, Netflix acquired the series after its first two seasons, and has been its home ever since. The streamer is also credited with amplifying the show's success, making it available to many more viewers and allowing many more fans to experience each episode's terrifying reality for themselves.

News of the "Black Mirror" season 6 renewal came via a report from Variety, but specific details on the season were scarce. While the episode plots remain a mystery, we can expect the upcoming season to be more "cinematic" in scope, with each entry being treated as an individual film. This is pretty in line with how the anthology series already functioned, especially after moving to Netflix, where episodes often exceeded 60-minute runtimes and touted high production value. As for the length of the season, it's expected to be longer than the fifth (which only included three episodes).

Plot-wise, we can only speculate. In the wake of the fifth season, Charlie Brooker said what we've all been thinking — who could stomach a new season of "Black Mirror" when we're basically living through an episode ourselves? He told the UK's Radio Times:

"At the moment, I don't know what stomach there would be for stories about societies falling apart, so I'm not working away on one of those. I'm sort of keen to revisit my comic skill set, so I've been writing scripts aimed at making myself laugh."

So did he manage to work through the sorrow of the past few years and funnel it into more scripts? Or might we expect a season that's very different than the ones prior? It's also conceivable that Brooker won't be the one to pen the upcoming season. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, it feels like the extended hiatus could have very promising results. Both the audience and creatives have spent some time away from "Black Mirror," giving the show ample opportunity to break its pattern and explore new territory.

The "Black Mirror" cast has always played a massive role in the show's success. The anthology has a penchant for catching actors right before they explode into massive success or otherwise attracting big names and offering material very worthy of their talents. So far, it's looking like the sixth season will continue the trend with an exciting roster of performers already announced. 

In July of 2022, Variety announced a cast that spans three episodes of the upcoming season and includes Zazie Beetz ("Bullet Train," "Atlanta"), Paapa Essiedu ("Men"), Josh Hartnett ("Oppenheimer"), Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad," "Dual"), Kate Mara ("Call Jane," "A Teacher"), Danny Ramirez ("Top Gun Maverick"), Clara Rugaard ("Press Play"), Auden Thornton ("This Is Us"), and Anjana Vasan ("Killing Eve"). Additional cast members announced later include Rob Delaney ("Catastrophe," "Deadpool 2"), "Industry" breakout Myha'la Herrold, and Rory Culkin (of "Signs" fame). According to Variety, Salma Hayek ("Eternals") and Annie Murphy ("Schitt's Creek") are "in talks" to join the cast of the new season.

On the production side of things, no details have been confirmed. Charlie Brooker not only created "Black Mirror" but also wrote 23 of its 24 episodes so presumably, he'll continue to work with Netflix on the series. But as of now, the Variety report made no mention of writers or directors for season 6.