Why the groundbreaking ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' is disappearing from Netflix
It's the end of the road for choose-your-own-adventure programming at Netflix, and there's no rewinding to pick another path.
On May 12, the streamer will remove Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend (2020). Both of these interactive TV specials empowered viewers to choose different paths to essentially create their own narrative.
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In November 2024, a Netflix rep told The Verge that it was removing all of its choose-your-own-adventure projects, which at that time numbered 24 unique titles. As of Friday, only Bandersnatch and Kimmy vs. the Reverend remain on the company's "interactive specials" page, but not for long.
"The technology served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas," Netflix spokesperson Chrissy Kelleher said last year.
In 2019, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch won a pair of Emmy Awards — for Best TV Movie and Best Creative Achievement in Interactive Media Within a Scripted Program. The plot followed a young programmer, Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), who was adapting a fantasy book into a video game in 1984, with the help of gaming expert Colin Ritman (Will Poulter). Poulter returned to Black Mirror this year as the same character in the "Plaything" episode.
Bandersnatch included more than five hours of material, although the average time for a user to make it through the entire story was about 90 minutes. Because there were 150 minutes of unique footage divided into 250 segments, there were more than 1 trillion possible paths that viewers could take. It was written by series creator Charlie Brooker and directed by David Slade.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend served as the wrap-up movie to the 2015-19 comedy series created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. The interactive telefilm included multiple paths and alternate endings, and it received two Emmy nominations, for Best TV Movie and Best Limited/Movie Supporting Actor for Tituss Burgess.
Star Ellie Kemper returned as Kimmy Schmidt, a former mole woman who's now a bestselling author, as she plans her wedding to Prince Frederick (Daniel Radcliffe) and uncovers a secret bunker started by the Rev. Richard Wayne Gary Wayne (Jon Hamm). Fey previously called it "a great way to officially complete the series." It was written by Fey, Carlock, Meredith Scardino, and Sam Means, and directed by Claire Scanlon.
At the same time that Netflix is halting its efforts with this particular choose-your-own-adventure format, the streamer is ramping up its games portfolio. The TV homepage was even recently redesigned to feature games that can be played on-screen by using your cell phone as the controller.
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Why Shaquille O'Neal decided to join the Reebok executive team
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Los Angeles Times
28 minutes ago
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Why Shaquille O'Neal decided to join the Reebok executive team
Shaquille O'Neal was a dominant force in the NBA, a 7-foot-1 gentle giant who shattered boards, racked up four titles and left an indelible mark as one of the best centers in basketball history. But since his retirement in 2011, Shaq has shown that his impact goes far beyond sports. Now, in the business world, from offices and boardrooms, Shaq is focused on remaining the most dominant ever. Beyond his impressive height, one of O'Neal's most distinguishing traits is his sense of humor. In the 'Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal' Netflix series, which premiered on June 4, he acknowledges that his mindset is '80% humor and 20% seriousness' when it comes to running his businesses. That doesn't mean he doesn't take his responsibilities seriously. In fact, he believes that some people tried to exploit his outgoing nature when he first started his business ventures. 'Yes, a lot of people try to take advantage and that just drives me to do more things,' O'Neal told L.A. Times en Español. He is accustomed to people trying to exploit his perceived weaknesses. 'They always said, 'With the way he shoots free throws, he'll never win a championship.' OK, maybe that's true, but I'm going to dominate the game so much that free throws don't even matter.' He brings the same mentality to his position at Reebok, where he is president of basketball — a position he assumed in 2023 — and is leading a push to bring relevance back to a brand that once bet on him to be a star. 'When I went to Nike, they said, 'Yeah, we wanted to give you your own sneakers, but we gave them to another guy.' And I said, 'Excuse me? To this guy?' And then when I went to Reebok, they said, 'We believe in you, we're going to give you your own shoes,'' O'Neal recalls. That loyalty was not forgotten. 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I had to learn a lot, learn about this business,' he said. To appeal to the broadest group of customers, he has relied on a close circle of advisors that includes his son, Shareef. 'I had to bring in my son to help me identify with the crazy Generation Z, because they do what they want. They follow their own path. They have their own rules,' O'Neal said. While still a strong, determined figure, O'Neal has learned to accept feedback from others. 'I don't think my best quality is listening,' he admits. But in his new role, he's had to let go of some of his old-school style and trust his team. O'Neal was one of the most dominant players the NBA has ever seen. Now he's one of the most successful athletes in the business world. His investment portfolio includes franchises of businesses such as Papa John's, Five Guys, 24 Hour Fitness and his own line of products and apparel. 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But perhaps his most powerful facet is that of a man who builds bridges, pushes others and constantly reinvents himself. This new movement, he says, is strategic and personal. He is enjoying a reunion with the brand that believed in him and an opportunity to return the favor by helping Reebok connect with customers. This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
Buzz Feed
29 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Millennials Are Sharing The Things We All Did 20 Years Ago That Would Make Any Gen Z'er Question Our Collective Sanity Now, And Oh Wow
I hate to break it to you, but we're officially closer to 2050 than we are to 2000. (Yes, that actually makes me sick just trying to wrap my brain around it.) And with time moving so quickly, tons of things that were completely normal in those days are completely obsolete now. Which is an equally hard pill to swallow. But it's always fun to reminisce on what life was really like in the 2000s, when life was simpler — and make fun of young people in the process. So recently on Reddit, people have been answering the question: "What's something people did instinctively 15 years ago, but now younger people don't even realize was a thing?" and the answers have unlocked some serious memories. Here's what people said: "Spending hours renaming and cataloguing an iTunes library ripped from LimeWire." "Carrying a Garmin or other GPS navigation device with you in your car." "Writing in cursive. I was at a wedding where the seating cards were written in cursive, and when I grabbed mine, I had three different younger couples ask me to find theirs." "'Instinctively'? Ctrl + S every few minutes." "Taking 500 photos on a digital camera on a single night out, and then uploading them all to Facebook in several separate albums." "Paying attention to the way you're going so you know how to get back. Or pay attention to landmarks. No one seems to do this anymore." "Downloading playlists to iPods or phones because streaming would destroy your data." "Set up a meeting point when going to a concert, and a fall-back position after the concert in case we get lost." "Travelling internationally without a smartphone, and hoping a friendly local is honest when you ask directions." "People don't know what it's like for weed to be counter cultural and criminal anymore. Kids don't know how to roll joints in legal states; they all get pre rolls. They don't know what it's like to drive 45 minutes outside of town to meet some 45 year old burnout dude playing with knives in the corner while he tries to spit a freestyle for you, and get you to smoke a blunt with him when all you want is your $35 1/8th of an unknown strain that he swears is some top-shelf med-grade shit." "Putting a CD into your car dashboard." "Taking off the head unit of your car stereo, putting it in its box, hiding it under the seat, and putting a wheel lock on, all before you leave and lock your car." "Printing MapQuest directions." "Lining up hours before a movie to get a good seat (no reserved seats). My friends and I lined up for two hours for Avatar when it first came out." "Checking your data usage to make sure you haven't gone over your 100 MB and incurred $0.05/KB overage charges." And similarly: "Restricting the length of your texts to not be charged another 12p for going over the character allowance for one text." "Memorizing phone numbers." "Mailing the DVD back to Netflix." "15 years ago, I still had to pay to 'rent' the required cable box on top of paying for the cable itself." "Handing the clerk your credit card instead of putting it in the machine yourself. And putting your car key in the door." "Turning on/off car headlights." "We talked to strangers so much because people were seen as our entertainment. It was completely normal to be in line at the grocery store just talking to people beside you while you waited. We didn't have phones to be stuck on all day, so we actually interacted with the world and people around us to not be bored." "Watching the 6:30 nightly news in real time. I stopped watching when Trump was elected." "Actually being friends with work colleagues; going to their birthday parties, etc. Now everyone just seems to want to get to work and go home." "Driving to stores to buy things, and planning your whole day around it." "Wedding invitations or important events would come with a map to the venue." "Writing a check." "Answering the phone when it rings." "Planning your route BEFORE getting in the car." "You went to work in nice clothes and got to wear jeans on Friday!" "Knowing which direction is north. In my experience, young people struggle to navigate anywhere without their smartphone giving them directions. They don't really examine the map, and they don't concern themselves with keeping track of where north is." "Hitting the rewind button." "Calling the credit card company before traveling." "Making YouTube videos for the fun of it. Now everyone thinks it's a job and is making soulless, cookie-cutter content by chasing trends to feed the algorithm." "Turning your phone off to save the battery. Now people would rather sacrifice their social life than be unreachable for 10 minutes." "Looking up businesses in the Yellow Pages." "Bulletin boards in coffee shops and casual restaurants are missing now. It used to be that if you wanted to hire someone for a local service, you could find people's flyers or business cards tacked to it: landscapers, plumbers, painters. You could also find show flyers." And we've covered the '00s, so now, let's chat about the '90s! What's something everyone did 25 years ago that would confuse young people today? Tell me in this quick form, or in the comments below! And for more content that brings you right back to the good ol' days, check out BuzzFeed Canada on Instagram and TikTok!
