Everything you need to know about Charlie Brooker’s ‘Blackmere’ on Netflix
Charlie Brooker has spent significant years creating Black Mirror, so naturally, his next move is… a murder mystery. Well, sort of, because if you thought the man who gave us USS Callister and San Junipero was about to straighten his tie and give Netflix a nice little detective drama, you have probably given him far too much credit for being nice.
The joke goes further than the title, though, because Netflix describes the series as an absurd comedy disguised as an incredibly serious crime thriller.
And that is the fun part, because Blackmere does not sound like a full-on spoof where everyone is in on the joke. The murder case has to be played straight this time, while Brooker lets the detective story play it dead straight and has his fun around the edges.
What is Blackmere about?
Detective John Blackmere is leaving the rain-soaked Northern city of Bleakford for London after his partner is killed, and there is also a ritualistic serial killer on the loose, so no, the actual setup is not messing about.
But you can already see what Brooker is prodding at here. Bleakford? A grieving detective heading to London with revenge on his mind? The setup plays the British crime-drama mood so straight that the seriousness becomes part of the joke.
Netflix is keeping the rest of the story under wraps, and that is probably for the best because a lot of the fun will come from seeing what Brooker does with such a serious crime-drama setup.
Who is in the show?
Paddy Considine, Georgina Campbell, Lena Headey and Rory Kinnear are confirmed, although Netflix has not revealed most of their characters yet.
And really, that cast tells you plenty for now. Considine doing dead-serious detective material inside a Charlie Brooker comedy? The combination seems spot on.
Who is making Blackmere?
Brooker created the series and is among its writers, while long-time Black Mirror collaborator Annabel Jones is an executive producer.
So no, this is not Black Mirror under another name, despite that obviously obvious title, but the tiny resemblance is uncanny.
When is Blackmere releasing?
Netflix has confirmed Blackmere for early 2027, with an exact date still to come. For now, all we can do is wait and see just how far Brooker plans to push the joke.