‘Black Mirror’ Season 5 Could Bring Back Some Unforgettable Characters

Fans no doubt know and are hyped by the news that on Dec. 29, Black Mirror Season 4 releases on Netflix. Of course, television marathoning culture dictates that those new episodes won’t be new for long. When is Season 5 of Black Mirror coming around, then? While there is no official confirmation of a Season 5 at the time of this publication, there are hints out there about what could be in store for the future of this creepy series.

UPDATE: Netflix announced on Mar. 5 that Black Mirror will return for Season 5. No premiere date has been set yet.

EARLIER: For fans of the series, it would seem like a no-brainer that the Emmy Award-winning technological thriller anthology would of course be greenlit for a fifth season. But so far, there has been nothing confirmed by Netflix. Unfortunately, there really is not much of a pattern to follow either, as far as when we could expect a new season. That’s because the two new seasons Netflix have produced have premiered a few months apart — October and December, respectively.

While fans may not know exactly when a new season is in store for them, the show's creators have dropped a couple of hints about what future seasons could look like. Charlie Brooker shared with The Express that Season 4 establishes that all episodes of Black Mirror are part of a shared reality, as different as each installment is on the surface.

“We always used to say it’s to a shared universe but then I started to say it’s a psychologically shared universe,” he told the publication. “Now, some of the episodes are definitely connected because there’s specific references within that story to things we’ve seen in other episodes … So, it sort of is now.”

Knowing that Black Mirror episodes will also be a part of this continuity opens up numerous potential storylines for Season 5. Potentially, the season to come after this one will provide the opportunity to revisit past episodes as well. In an interview with The Independent, Brooker spoke about the idea of doing sequel episodes. He said that he had ideas in mind for sequels to two episodes, already: Season 2 episodes “Be Right Back” and “White Bear.” He added that characters in the Season 3 episode “Hated In The Nation” could potentially recur.

As the series hopefully continues, Black Mirror will also be exploring different themes and tones. Brooker said in an interview with Digital Spy that the series will not be exclusively dark and scary like many of the episodes, thus far. “[Season 3 episode] 'San Junipero' proved that the show doesn't just have to be depressing and horrible," he said. "Which isn't to say it's sunshine and rainbows now, but we are certainly playing with the tone a little more.”

The prospect of future seasons isn’t the only thing fans have to be excited about. You can also rest assured that your very favorite episode won't be touched. Brooker told The Los Angeles Times that he does not want to revisit "San Junipero" in a sequel. “I have steered clear of revisiting the San Junipero world because we want to keep [the couple, Kelly and Yorkie] happy, there," he said. However, he recently tweeted that he would be open to expanding the story if the medium changed. In a tweet, Brooker said, “No way we'd do a *direct sequel* with same characters unless it was, say, a graphic novel.”

So when, or even if, Black Mirror gets a Season 5 is anyone’s guess, and what stories it may include is even more nebulous. However, it is clear that there are dozens of interesting paths forward for the series, from long-awaited sequels to new epics.