By now, you are probably missing Black Mirror and wondering when season six is coming out. There isn’t a release date yet, but we do know the cast will be bigger (Aaron Paul, Zazie Beets) and there will be more episodes than in the previous season.
It is rumored that Charlie Brooker wasn’t working on any new seasons until the real world (Trump and the Pandemic) was settled down and we weren’t all living in our own episode of Black Mirror. Totally understandable. Well, hopefully, the world is more settled down by the time season six drops and we don’t have another reality show host turned president.
Anyway, I have been watching and re-watching some shows that keep me saying, “This is a great show to watch in place of Black Mirror until the new season hits Netflix.” And I decided I would share that list here.
Show: Fantasy Island
Where to watch: Fox/Hulu
Synopsis: People who walk in with a desire, but end up reborn to themselves through the magical realism of Fantasy Island.
About: I started watching this show randomly one day. I thought it was going to play out like a soap opera. It is far from. I never watched the original show from my parent’s time, but I did watch the horror movie version of the show that came out within the last few years. The new show is technically a continuation and follows the same plot: People arrive at the island to make a dream come to life and then they go back home feeling restored. The show also follows the staff on the island and how they make everything possible.
Show: The Peripheral
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Synopsis: Set in the future when technology has subtly altered society, a woman discovers a secret connection to an alternate reality as well as a dark future of her own.
About: I reviewed this show already on this website, but this show is such a cool show done by the creators of West World. It is super violent and super techy. The premise shows us what the world of VR could be like. Not really, but still, check it out.
Show: Upload
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Synopsis: A man is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death, by having his consciousness uploaded into a virtual world. As he gets used to his new life and befriends his angel (real-world handler), questions about his death arise.
About: This show has Black Mirror written all over it. It’s actually quite similar to San Junipero, one of my favorite Black Mirror episodes that also received an Emmy nomination. This show is super fun, super funny, and the special effects are really strong. I didn’t love the second season, though.
Show: Made For Love
Where to watch: HBO Max
Synopsis: A young woman, on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to a tech billionaire, suddenly realizes that her husband has implanted a revolutionary monitoring device in her brain that allows him to track her every move.
About: It might sound like a reality dating show, but it is far from that. This show also has been reviewed before on our site! And Cristin Milioti is in both shows! This show is wild. I don’t know how it didn’t get renewed for season three. Basically, what if Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk had an offsite compound where they lived and worked and haven’t left in ten years and their wife wanted out, but they made that impossible due to a new piece of technology? Some of the tech and special effects in this show are super interesting. And Ray Romano and Patti Harrison are great additions to this cast.
Show: Severance
Where to watch: Apple TV
Synopsis: Mark leads a team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives. When a mysterious colleague appears outside of work, it begins a journey to discover the truth about their jobs.
About: Tom originally reviewed this on our website! I just watched it the other day. The season ends on quite a cliffhanger, so much so that I wish I knew before I watched the show or else I would have waited for the new season to come out. Also, there is no information on when the new season will come out, but it has been filmed!