Perhaps it’s because I grew up watching Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, Outer Limits and others that I enjoy watching anthology shows. You know the ones, the series that have overarching themes or ideas behind them, but every episode is a self-contained story. There are some that have loose connections, like a character that pops up a few times or a similar setting, but they are all still separate tales that can be watched in pretty much any order.
Though these types of shows never really left, there’s been a resurgence of them lately, thanks in large part to the popularity of Black Mirror. The fourth season of the show hit Netflix at the end of December and, for fans like myself, it’s obviously worth watching. Though there are a few really good episodes (my favorites are “Hang the DJ” and “Black Museum”), it’s not as good a season overall as past ones. And even though the episodes can be watched in any order, I recommend that anyone getting into Black Mirror needs to start at the beginning. The first season has some particularly disturbing scenarios and if you can get on board with those, it’s worth the ride.
A new series that many called “Black Mirror light” when it hit Amazon is Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams. (We talked about it on Geek Watch One when it premiered in January.) The episodes were a bit hit and miss, but if you prefer your sci-fi with a slightly more hopeful tone to it, this would be the series to watch. Plus, each episode is based on a Philip K. Dick story, which creates a connection between them just in the type of characters that appear and the way things play out. And you can read the stories to see how they compare to this modern interpretation.
Another new series is Room 104, which debuted last year on HBO. Though more in line with straight-up dramatic storytelling and definitely not sci-fi, a couple of episodes do have a bit of a fantasy element. And in this series, all the stories are connected by being set in the same motel room. After watching, it will make you really think about what’s going on next door the next time you stay at a motel! There’s no consistent tone to the stories, with some being upbeat, some more somber, some scary and a couple just downright weird. My favorite episode is “The Internet”, which is both cringe worthy and affirming, especially for writers.
Whatever your interest, give an anthology series a try. With every episode being its own story, it’s not a big commitment to watch an episode or two or skip the occasional one. You might find yourself enjoying a genre or storyteller you never thought you’d get into.