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n an era where there’s an endless number of TV shows clamouring for cultural relevance, “Black Mirror” has pulled off a rare feat by consistently managing to shock its audience, says streaming columnist NICK OVERALL. 

FROM couples who record each other’s memories to a world where social media determines quality of life, the twisted sci-fi anthology “Black Mirror” on Netflix has included some episodes that have both disturbed and amused.

Each episode of “Black Mirror” is a self-contained story, roughly an hour long, that imagines scenarios where humans unlock the frightening potential of technology.

In one of the show’s most popular instalments, young friends wrestle with the idea of uploading their consciousness to a digital “afterlife”.

In another, a grieving woman uses artificial intelligence in order to bring back her partner who was killed just weeks before in an accident.

One of the episodes, “Bandersnatch”, even featured an interactive story, allowing streamers to determine the outcome of the plot by making decisions with their TV remote.

All this is to say that “Black Mirror” has carved itself out as “The Twilight Zone” for the digital age. There’s perhaps no higher compliment.

It’s been three years since audiences were last treated to a season of these dark delights, but in the coming weeks Netflix has promised that new episodes will finally arrive.

At time of writing, the streaming giant has only confirmed the new season will hit the platform in June, ominously (and rather irritatingly) leaving an exact date off.

But no matter when, its return will be a welcome one for many subscribers, as the show has remained one of Netflix’s most consistent hits. It should be mentioned that those not subscribed to Netflix can currently catch some of season four for free on ABC iView.

The upcoming season will feature five eyebrow-raising episodes, including one about a shy sales assistant who must commit terrible acts to prevent a tragedy and another set in space with “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul.

There’s one that does sound particularly intriguing, with rumour that it’ll be taking aim at the streaming industry itself. 

The premise involves an everyday woman who discovers a global streaming platform has turned her life into a prestige TV drama series, setting the scene for a modern and meta rendition of “The Truman Show”.

While season five of “Black Mirror” was widely considered not quite as strong as its predecessors, these set ups for the new episodes come with a whole new world of potential that could further solidify “Black Mirror” as a cautionary tale for our age. 

Its title, of course, alludes to the very thing its audience watches the show on.

THIS month, Amazon Prime Video has dropped one of the most expensive TV shows ever made.

How expensive? Try $50 million an episode, well exceeding the newest season of “Stranger Things”, which racked up a budget of $30 million an episode.

This new series is called “Citadel” and it’s yet another spy thriller to come from the Russo brothers. 

The duo have become well known for blockbusters since directing “Avengers: Endgame”, and this is certainly their most ambitious project since.

It stars Richard Madden as Mason Kane, a secret agent who’s part of a global spy network named Citadel, which is locked in battle with “Manticore” – a quickly growing crime syndicate that threatens to take over the world. 

In its defence, “Citadel” doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. This is an action blockbuster that asks the audience to leave their brain at the door and the Russo brothers know it. Sadly though, that insane budget still can’t make this anything more than a way to kill a few hours.

Personally, I can’t help but feel Richard Madden’s talents would be of far more use in the role of a certain other secret agent since Daniel Craig hung up the tux.

Madden gets my vote.