Netflix’s hit sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror is testing the limits of technology once again — by letting viewers choose the outcome of an upcoming episode.
According to Bloomberg, the Emmy-winning Charlie Brooker series is trying something different for its fifth season: a choose-your-own-adventure style episode.
This wouldn’t be the first time Netflix has toyed with the idea of interactive stories on their streaming content. Their Puss in Boots cartoon, for instance, has a few interactive elements where you can decide what moves the titular feline will do next. However, this is the first time that Netflix will try it for a live-action program, and Black Mirror’s hefty critical pedigree makes this move a big risk for the streaming giant.
Netflix is also slated to develop “a slate of specials” that toy with the same interactive model in the near future, evincing a desire to branch out into new territory. While interactive video has had its share of false starts (see the full-motion video game craze in the mid-90s), Netflix’s track record with disrupting the way we watch television is already pretty strong. If anyone can pull this off, it’s the company that made ‘binge-watching’ a household name.
Black Mirror season five is slated to premiere this December.