'Black Mirror' Season 4 Will Not Come Out in 2017 After All

For any fans of Netflix's Black Mirror , or any sci-fi anthology aficionados in general, the new season doesn't appear to be coming out before the end of 2017 as expected.Earlier this week, Netflix released a list of all the new material coming and leaving the platform in December 2017, including new movies, shows, and individual seasons. Much of their focus went toward other Netflix originals like the Will Smith action-fantasy movie Bright as well as their supernatural horror show Dark (yes, they have two unrelated originals called Bright and Dark). New Trollhunters episodes are coming as well.However, Black Mirror was nowhere to be found in their new listings for the month, discrediting any notions that the streaming platform would release the fourth season by the end of the year. Netflix hasn't released any official statement about the show as of yet, but it's likely the show will be delayed until at least early 2018, hopefully not much longer.Netflix had been hinting at a release date before the end of this year, but Black Mirror is Black Mirror, so it may take longer to finish the latest six episodes, and there still isn't a release date at this time.While it's disappointing, Netflix already seemed apprehensive about when the new season would be released. When the first teaser for the new season came out over the summer , they said it was "coming soon" without providing a specific release date. Season 3 came out in late October 2016 to extremely positive reviews , and it did seem like the new season might come out on a more regular schedule this time.The fact that it's not doing so after all isn't too big of a surprise - there was a full three year gap between the show's second and third season, with only a Christmas special that starred Jon Hamm coming out in between. Series creator Charlie Brooker writes nearly the entire show himself, so sometimes things can take awhile. If the season's not ready yet, then of course it shouldn't be released too early; but as a fan, it can be dispiriting.At least the new season looks good based on what we've seen so far. From a black and white episode featuring a Boston Dynamics -esque robot, to a Star Trek parody starring Jesse Plemons from Breaking Bad and Fargo, to an episode directed by Jodi Foster, there's a lot to look forward to.Next year, presumably.