Some Black Mirror Season 6 Episodes Take Inspiration From Real-Life News Stories

The first full trailer for "Black Mirror" Season 6 teases more of a horror influence than in past seasons, and series creator Charlie Brooker has since confirmed that at least a couple episodes will reflect some of the horrors of our present-day reality, taking inspiration from real-life news.

Brooker spoke to British GQ ahead of "Black Mirror" Season 6's premiere, during which he fielded a question about whether or not any of these forthcoming episodes might have drawn from specific news stories for inspiration. In response, Brooker revealed that one episode incorporates aspects of notorious Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. "I thought that'd be so odd if that was your life. So that unlocked something I was already thinking about," he said.

Meanwhile, another Season 6 episode has something to do with the paparazzi, which — understandably, given its subject matter — likewise comments on mass media in a general sense. "The paparazzi episode, I think there's some clear parallels with things that happened to famous people way back yonder," Brooker continued, teasing a "Black Mirror" season that might look more to the past and present than just the future compared to prior seasons.

At the start of his British GQ interview, Charlie Brooker revealed that he approached Season 6 with a fresh mind, attempting to subvert what he knew "Black Mirror" to be previously. "I definitely approached this thinking, 'Whatever my assumptions are about "Black Mirror," I'm going to throw them out and do something different'," he said.

The fact that the two episodes he teased about Elizabeth Holmes and the paparazzi are inspired by things that happened in the past rather than events he thinks could happen in the future does indeed suggest a new direction for Season 6. That said, this isn't the first time "Black Mirror" will comment on the past or present, even if these episodes do seem to do so more explicitly than in previous instances.

Notably, Miley Cyrus stars in a Season 5 episode about a struggling pop star that she told The Guardian pulls directly from her real-life experiences. Furthermore, Season 1, Episode 1, about the blackmailing of a fictional British prime minister, isn't science fiction so much as it heightens aspects of present-day politics. Fans of "Black Mirror" can find out how upcoming episodes compare to these and other highlights from its past when Season 6 premieres to Netflix on June 15.