Charlie Brooker defends Black Mirror’s change of tone on Netflix
Charlie Brooker created Black mirror for Channel 4 in the UK before being picked up for streaming by Netflix. The first two seasons (plus a special) were extremely dark and Brooker admitted during a chat at SXSW Sydney that the general lightening of tone after the show was produced by Netflix was a “criticism” he received frequently.
“It went on Netflix and suddenly everything is sunny and happy and everyone has wonderful teeth and it’s full of Hollywood stars and it’s lost that appeal,” he said during the panel discussion. But the change wasn’t due to the streamer –The guard reports that Brooker was the one who drove the change in tone on the show.
“I was aware that we’re going to a global platform now, so we need to make these stories a little more international. And I wanted to add some variety to not just do dark-a-thons,” he told the audience. “San Junipero”, arguably the nicest of the episodes and one that many consider to be their favorite, was also one of Brooker’s favorite episodes. “I just did it of my own accord,” he said.
Brooker said: “[San Junipero] is probably one of the most meaningful things we’ve ever done. It was the first positive thing I did, because up to that point everyone was Black mirror it was about someone being trapped and unable to get out. And in [San Junipero] There were two people in a trap and that’s okay. It seemed like that resonated with a lot of people.”
Want more io9 news? Find out when you can expect the latest Wonder, war of starsAnd Star Trek Releases, what’s next for the DC Universe in film and televisionand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
