Thought Netflix Ruined Black Mirror? Its Creator Has Some Harsh Truth For You

Black Mirror lost a lot of its macabre charm when it moved to Netflix, but the streaming giant isn't to blame. Charlie Brooker himself decided to make the show more feel-good, and he's sticking by his creative decision even in the face of fan backlash.

When Black Mirror first premiered on Channel 4 in 2011, people were shocked at how dark yet strangely compelling this anthology show was, and marveled at its quality for two seasons. However, as Black Mirror grew in popularity, creator Charlie Brooker quickly realized that he needed a bigger platform to develop his show, and struck a deal with Netflix, where Season 3 premiered to widespread acclaim.

However, all of Black Mirror's recent seasons on Netflix proved to be a mixed bag, as fans hated how the dark and controversial show began to feel like a feel-good collection of sci-fi stories. Season 6 was the worst example of this, as after the premiere of the new installment, fans began openly bashing Brooker for striking a deal with a streaming giant.

Brooker has an explanation

While the idea of Netflix ruining beloved shows and books has been kept alive thanks to the streaming service's many missteps, Brooker doesn't actually share that sentiment about his own show, arguing that Netflix had nothing to do with the its development, as he himself wanted to distance Black Mirror from its dark dystopian image.

'And then it's gone to Netflix and suddenly everything's sunny and happy and everyone has wonderful teeth, and it's full of Hollywood stars and it's lost that edge. I was aware we're going on a global platform now, so we've got to make these stories a bit more international. And I wanted to mix it up a bit, as in not just keep doing bleak-a-thons,' Brooker said.

Yes, it looks like Brooker himself got tired of writing about miserable people struggling with miserable problems, and decided to add more fresh and even pleasant storylines to the mix.

However, it's not as if the creator has stopped scaring his viewers with his macabre visions of the future, as last season's Loch Henry is by far one of the most disgusting and scandalous episodes he's ever written.

Let's hope that a potential Season 7 will appeal to both new and old Black Mirror fans.

Source: per The Guardian.