With the latest season of Black Mirror now behind us, many of you may be asking, just as we are, when Black Mirror season six is going to hit our screens. Given that season five was comprised of only three episodes, it didn’t take long for fans to blaze through it, unless you just so happen to have incredible self-restraint. Either way, I’m sure you are — or soon will be — hungry for more dystopian narratives cautioning about the ills of future technology. We’ve rounded up five sci-fi TV series that you can watch in the meantime to fill the void. So, without further ado, go forth and find your latest series obsession:
Humans
Image via @channel4humans (Instagram)
Much like Black Mirror, Humans is also a British science fiction series that toys with existential ideas about the perils of technology. The storyline centres upon a near-future society in which personal anthropomorphic robots are for sale, with the implications of this reality explored in detail. Picture this: Alexa now looks and sounds just like you, but still operates as your trustworthy assistant — that is, until Amazon begins recalling them. Similar to Black Mirror, Humans explores the themes of artificial intelligence and robotics, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological impacts they garner.
The Handmaids Tale
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Much like Black Mirror, The Handmaid’s Tale shares a striking relevance to today’s sociopolitical landscape. The bleak adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s 1985 literary classic stars Elisabeth Moss as a prisoner within a dystopian, right wing tyranny whose answer to plummeting birth rates due to environmental disasters is to subject the remaining fertile women to sexual slavery. As horrible as this sounds, Atwood’s hyper-patriarchal tales are not a far stretch from the realities of the present day, which makes this series incredibly eye-opening, like Black Mirror.
The Twilight Zone
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Rod Serling’s iconic Twilight Zone is where humanity’s fascination with a dystopian alternative reality all began. Serling’s television anthology parallels Black Mirror in that it echoes the angst and anxiety of an era confronted by an endless stream of modern technology. TZ surfaces the relatable challenges we all face in the unremitting quest for love, purpose, and identity in our ever-expanding metropolises and sprawling universe. The series laid the foundation for several of the twisted, dread-filled plots we know and love today.
Altered Carbon
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Based on Richard K. Morgan’s novel, Altered Carbon is another series reminiscent of Black Mirror. The story is centred in a futuristic society in which human consciousness can be migrated from body to body. This series will definitely live up to all of your wildest sci-fi (and gruesome) expectations.
Westworld
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Westworld’s plot feels as though it was directly inspired by Black Mirror. The series is set in a theme park where ultra-rich visitors are encouraged to indulge in their wildest fantasies through artificial consciousness. No matter how illicit these fantasies may be, there are no consequences to those who wish to entertain their desires.
