Like most anthology shows, Black Mirror experiences a fair share of ups and downs throughout its runtime. While some of its episodes feel like brilliant projections of real-world anxieties surrounding technology and humanity’s nature with it, others seem a little too abstract and convoluted. Despite being a mixed bag, though, the Netflix sci-fi show is widely appreciated for being experimental and boundary-pushing.
Unfortunately, a similar sci-fi anthology series on Apple TV did not earn the same level of appreciation as Black Mirror. While it also had a few underwhelming episodes, some of its best installments still remain memorable and keep aging well with time.
Just like Black Mirror focuses on how humanity’s relationship with technology often spirals into unforeseen consequences, Apple TV’s Extrapolations shows how climate change alters different facets of human society. Similar to Black Mirror, Extrapolations unfolds a whole new story with each episode.
With each new installment, it attempts to tackle a different consequence of the climate crisis, from environmental collapse and mass displacement to political instability and personal moral dilemmas. Black Mirror uses technology to highlight the flaws in human morality and expose how easily innovation can outpace ethical responsibility.
In a similar way, Extrapolations uses climate change as a mirror for how human choices and systems of power shape the world’s future. Like most anthologies, Extrapolations has a few dull episodes that deserve to be skipped. However, similar to Black Mirror, it also delivers some deeply moving installments that come off as relatable projections of the world we are heading towards.
One of Extrapolations‘ best episodes even unfolds in India, highlighting how the state air pollution will get so bad that most individuals will have to walk around with oxygen masks. In another great episode, the series highlights how the lower classes and third-world nations will be the first to be affected by the climate change crisis.
Extrapolations is, by no means, a perfect sci-fi series. However, the fact that many of its fictional stories are starting to come true in the real world makes it a stark reminder of the consequences of inaction. It urges viewers to reflect on their role in shaping humanity’s future and consider whether meaningful change is still possible before it is too late.
When Apple TV first announced Extrapolations, many could not help but call the streaming platform hypocritical. It almost seemed ironic that a tech giant was releasing a show that preaches about climate change. Extrapolations even features story arcs in which it is critical of big tech companies and their role in the acceleration of environmental collapse for the sake of profit.
It is understandable where this criticism comes from. Black Mirror, too, has often capitalized on how its streaming home is hated for by featuring episodes where invasive data tracking, algorithmic control, corporate greed, and digital addiction are taken to unsettling extremes.
However, instead of seeing the two shows as mere products of capitalism leveraging its own criticism, one can also use them to spark conversations that might not reach mainstream audiences otherwise. Especially with growing concerns surrounding climate change, Apple TV‘s Extrapolations is one show that feels particularly timely, proving that it deserves as much attention as Netflix’s Black Mirror despite being criticized when it first premiered.