As previously reported, Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker has created a mockumentary about this strange year called Death to 2020. Before the whole thing hits Netflix, we finally get a more proper taste with its first trailer.
Death to 2020 will feature Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Keery, Leslie Jones, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo and Cristin Milioti. The year-end special also features Brooker regular Diane Morgan (a.k.a Philomena Cunk).
In a statement, Brooker explained that the new special will be similar to the Wipe series he released in the UK in previous years:
Those who only know me through Black Mirror may not realize that when not writing speculative sci-fi about people frowning at smartphones, I've spent years making comedy shows in the UK - including many topical comedy specials. So to me, Death to 2020 feels like the collision of several different strands. (Do strands 'collide'? No. Apologies). But the approach for this is quite different to most of the topical comedy I've done in the past. For one thing I'm not on screen presenting it - a relief for anyone watching in 4K - and it's more character-based. In the loneliest year on record, I got to work (remotely) with writers and team members from my previous comedies, as well as many sickeningly talented people who were new to me.
Death to 2020 features fictional characters discussing real events in a bombastic mockumentary, but quite a bit sillier than that makes it sound. It felt like an apt format for Netflix, which is known for high-end documentaries, but also like a good opportunity to create a different kind of comedy special that deals with the year head-on while also showcasing some brilliant performers. I don't love the word "satire" but there's some of that here, alongside some angry jokes, and some goofy jokes. And hopefully viewers will find at least one joke to their liking — because let's face it, in 2020, any laugh you can emit, no matter how fleeting, is a small but precious victory.
Watch the trailer for Death to 2020 below. The special will hit Netflix on December 27.
Death to 2020 will feature Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Keery, Leslie Jones, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo and Cristin Milioti. The year-end special also features Brooker regular Diane Morgan (a.k.a Philomena Cunk).
In a statement, Brooker explained that the new special will be similar to the Wipe series he released in the UK in previous years:
Those who only know me through Black Mirror may not realize that when not writing speculative sci-fi about people frowning at smartphones, I've spent years making comedy shows in the UK - including many topical comedy specials. So to me, Death to 2020 feels like the collision of several different strands. (Do strands 'collide'? No. Apologies). But the approach for this is quite different to most of the topical comedy I've done in the past. For one thing I'm not on screen presenting it - a relief for anyone watching in 4K - and it's more character-based. In the loneliest year on record, I got to work (remotely) with writers and team members from my previous comedies, as well as many sickeningly talented people who were new to me.
Death to 2020 features fictional characters discussing real events in a bombastic mockumentary, but quite a bit sillier than that makes it sound. It felt like an apt format for Netflix, which is known for high-end documentaries, but also like a good opportunity to create a different kind of comedy special that deals with the year head-on while also showcasing some brilliant performers. I don't love the word "satire" but there's some of that here, alongside some angry jokes, and some goofy jokes. And hopefully viewers will find at least one joke to their liking — because let's face it, in 2020, any laugh you can emit, no matter how fleeting, is a small but precious victory.
Watch the trailer for Death to 2020 below. The special will hit Netflix on December 27.
