Netflix Is About to Erase One of Its Most Groundbreaking Movies Next Week
Back in 2018, Netflix took one of its most beloved shows, Black Mirror, and turned it into an interactive choose-your-own-adventure movie. Bandersnatch, at the time, felt like a new era for streaming movies; a high-quality sci-fi thriller with multiple endings. Set in the 1980s, Bandersnatch even captured the retro-quality many viewers likely associated with Choose Your Own Adventure books. It may not have been the greatest Black Mirror of all time, but it certainly was interesting.
But now, it looks like Bandersnatch, and other interactive Netflix titles, are going extinct. On May 12, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, as well as the interactive Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy Vs. The Reverend will be taken off the streamer, according to The AV Club, based on a report from What's on Netflix.
This isn't a new phenomenon. Netflix has been slowly removing various interactive specials for quite some time. Earlier this year, Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls and You vs. Wild were both taken off the service. Meanwhile, Puss in Boots: Trapped in an Epic Tale was removed from Netflix last year.
Around the internet, some are referring to the deletion of these titles as "lost media," a term that is becoming more and more common as various streaming services simply delete content for cost-saving measures. (I.E., the Disney+ series Willow was removed back in 2023, and there's no way to watch it now, at all.)
Related: The Best New 'Black Mirror' Episode Isn't the One You Think
The removal of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is very strange, though, considering that the just-released Black Mirror Season 7 sported a full-on sequel to Bandersnatch in the episode "Plaything." If you've never watched Black Mirror before, will this episode even make any sense now?
Deleting an interactive Black Mirror special without any warning, and with no way to watch it, is not only a strange move from Netflix; it's also the most Black Mirror thing ever.
Black Mirror streams on Netflix.
Related: The 1 Hit TV Show ‘Black Mirror’ Creator Charlie Brooker Refuses to Watch