Black Mirror Season 6: Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know
Black Mirror #BlackMirror
Black Mirror season 6 arrives on Netflix in June 2023, and will feature five new episodes formatted as what the streaming giant referred to as “movies.” After four years of questions about whether the anthology series would return, Black Mirror season 6 looks to be bringing the bleak sci-fi futurist anthology series back in a supersized manner. The Black Mirror season 6 updates so far have already promised a host of new tales that highly the dangers of ever-advancing technology. In addition, just as with Black Mirror season 5 and 2018’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, the next season of Black Mirror will once again subvert all expectations on what to expect.
While Black Mirror season 6 is likely full of surprises, the five new episodes all appear to focus on the world of television and the entertainment industry itself. At least one of the new episodes/movies is about a streaming series on the fictional Streamberry. There is also a hint at a Black Mirror shared universe, made more apparent when Aaron Paul returns in what might be a sequel to one of Black Mirror’s popular past episodes. Add in a pure horror episode that seems unlike anything Black Mirror has done in the past, and two episodes focusing on becoming TV stars, and Black Mirror season 6 could be one of the most interesting, and thematically-interwoven, seasons so far.
Black Mirror Season 6 Latest News 
The most recent Black Mirror season 6 news was the long-awaited trailer and release date. Previously, creator Charlie Brooker revealed the new season would arrive in June 2023, and this was indeed confirmed when the Black Mirror season 6 trailer arrived. The trailer was released on May 31, and it was revealed at the end of the trailer that the new season would hit on June 15, 2023. It also included the names of the episodes, which it referred to as “movies,” making it sound like the five might end up as feature-length presentations.
Several episode synopses were also revealed for Black Mirror season 6 alongside the titles of the five episodes. The first is a Netflix parody called Joan is Awful, wherein a woman (Selma Hayker) learns a new streaming show on Streamberry about her life. The next title is Beyond the Sea, which might exist in the same world as one of the most popular Black Mirror episodes, “USS Callister.” The next two are titled Mazey Day and Loch Henry. Finally, there is a horror tale from the fictional production company “Red Mirror” called Demon 79.
Black Mirror Season 6 Release Date 
Netflix often waits until the last minute to let fans know when a show will return for a new season, and Black Mirror season 6 is no different. The news came in a new trailer that dropped on May 31 with the news that the new season was in fact coming just two weeks later. The Black Mirror season 6 release date will be on June 15, 2023. There will be five new episodes for fans to binge-watch that day on the streaming giant.
Why Has Black Mirror Season 6 Taken So Long? 
After the series went dormant for a few years, Netflix was finally able to renew Black Mirror season 6 in May 2022. For a long time, it was uncertain if the dark sci-fi show would ever return, despite its evident popularity. The COVID-19 pandemic was a large part of this, as it not only halted the production of plenty of movies and TV shows worldwide but also dampened the demand for stories about the end of the world. As Charlie Brooker commented in a 2020 interview, “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” (via Variety).
Also, the rights to Black Mirror stayed with House of Tomorrow’s parent company, Endemol Shine Group, which was acquired by Banijay Group in the summer of 2020. As a result, Netflix wasn’t able to order more Black Mirror seasons until working out a deal with Banijay. Although it was in limbo for those two years, Black Mirror season 6 is back and should be better than ever. In more good news, Black Mirror season 6 features more episodes than season 5, with five compared to three. That is still one episode fewer than seasons 3 and 4, but it should still be a welcome return for fans of the anthology series.
Black Mirror Season 6 Cast 
As with the past few seasons of the show, the Black Mirror season 6 cast is a star-studded affair. The biggest names joining the show are in the episode called Beyond the Sea. This has Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down, Penny Dreadful) as an astronaut who clearly needs a break. Also appearing in that episode are Breaking Bad star, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara (American Horror Story: Murder House), Rory Culkin (Signs), and Auden Thornton (This is Us).
Salma Hayek takes on one of the lead roles in the episode, Joan is Awful. Hayek plays a fictional version of herself, as she was cast to play the character of Joan in a streaming series on Streamberry. However, the problem is that Joan is based on a real person who didn’t know her life was being made into a show. Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek) plays Joan. Also appearing in this episode is Michael Cera (Arrested Development), Himesh Patel (EastEnders), Rob Delaney (Big Nate), and Ben Barnes (Westworld).
In Mazey Day, Zazie Beetz (Joker), Clara Rugaard (I Am Mother), and Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick) star. Loch Henry has the cast of Samuel Blenkin (The Witcher: Blood Origin), Myha’la Herrold (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Daniel Portman (Game of Thrones), John Hannah (Sliding Doors), Monica Dolan (Appropriate Adult). Finally, in Demon 79, the cast includes Anjana Vasan (We Are Lady Parts), Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Katherine Rose Morley (The Syndicate), and David Shields (The Crown).
Black Mirror Season 6 Story Details 
Black Mirror season 6 features five episodes, which appear to take the form of feature-length movies. Up first is Joan is Awful. This stars Annie Murphy as Joan, a woman who sits down to watch the streaming service (Streamberry) when she finds a show called “Joan is Awful,” and she quickly learns the series is about her life with Salma Hayek playing her in the series. The problem is that she has no idea how they got all this information about her. It brings back memories of The Truman Show, but for the streaming age.
Up next is Loch Henry. This is about a documentary film crew who sets out to make their documentary about a series of abductions in Scotland, and it looks like they might have gotten more than they bargained for. Beyond the Sea stars Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett in a tale about two astronauts that is rumored to take place in the same universe as the “USS Callister” episode, in which Paul had a cameo. In Mazey Day, an A-list star (Clara Rugaard) is kicked off a TV show, and the paparazzi close in on her to get a candid photograph.
The last film is from a fake production company called “Red Mirror” and takes place in the pre-streaming era. As the name Black Mirror morphs into the fictional production company name, it also looks like this movie might go full horror. The title is Demon 79, and it stars Anjana Vasan (We Are Lady Parts) as a woman who seemingly has started killing people. However, one person with clear supernatural powers (played by Paapa Essiedu) tells her she is not the one who has something wrong with her.
Black Mirror Season 6 Trailer 
The Black Mirror season 6 trailer arrived just two weeks before the new season drops, and it was the trailer that revealed the Black Mirror season 6 release date. The trailer goes through and shows a glimpse at what each of the new Black Mirror films is about. It all starts with Joan is Awful, which features a woman who learns that a popular streaming service has started a show about her, with Salma Hayek playing her in the series. The trailer also gives glimpses at Loch Henry, Beyond the Sea, Mazey Day, and what looks like a straight horror movie in Demon 79 by what the trailer refers to as a Red Mirror production.