BBCIf you’re loving Black Mirror Season 7, you need to check out a disturbing dystopian drama that’s now available on Netflix.
Black Mirror Season 7 is live on Netflix, meaning you can now watch all six episodes, and check out our detailed explainers for ‘Common People,’ ‘Bête Noire,‘ ‘Hotel Reverie,’ ‘Plaything,’ ‘Eulogy,’ and ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity.’
As ever, the show delivers social commentary while focusing on technology in both the present and future, and the results are rarely optimistic.
That’s similar to an acclaimed drama that first broadcast on the BBC and HBO in 2019, and is now streaming on Netflix in the UK.
Why Black Mirror fans should watch Years and Years
Years and Years is one of the best TV shows of the last decade, and a must-watch for fans of Black Mirror.
The show is the brainchild of Russell T. Davies, a writer who is no stranger to thought-provoking sci-fi, having overseen the 2005 rebirth of Doctor Who.
But Years and Years is a decidedly adult series, revolving around 15 years in the life of the Lyons family, with the story kicking off in the UK in 2019, and ending in 2034.
It’s a period of political turmoil, as a celebrity businesswoman with controversial opinions – played by Emma Thompson – rises to power and divides the country, precipitating the waging of war, and the introduction of concentration camps.
It’s also a time of huge technological advances, with Bethany Bisme-Lyons (Lydia West) the most Black Mirror-adjacent character.
Early in the series, Bethany starts using face filters in real life, before telling her parents that she believes herself to be “transhuman.”
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BBC/HBOThat’s something which becomes literal over the course of six episodes, as Bethany has a series of surgeries to implant cybernetics into her body. Indeed, midway through proceedings she has a brain implant that allows her to interact directly with the Internet, and we won’t spoil where it goes, but Bethany’s journey is very Black Mirror.
Other high-tech storylines that crossover with Charlie Brooker’s series include AI taking human jobs, characters sleeping with sex-bots, and the uploading of consciousness into the Cloud.
All of which make Years and Years appointment viewing for fans of Black Mirror, though it’s only currently available on UK Netflix, meaning that viewers who are in the US/elsewhere will need to use a VPN to access the series.
Every episode of Black Mirror is also streaming on Netflix, and you can also now read our Season 7 review, find out what songs you heard via our soundtrack explainer, and check out the best Easter eggs in this series.
