Per Netflix, the synopsis for “Death to 2020” reads: “2020: A year so [insert adjective of choice here], even the creators of ‘Black Mirror’ couldn’t make it up…but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a little something to add. ‘Death to 2020’ is a comedy event that tells the story of the dreadful year that was — and perhaps still is? This landmark documentary-style special weaves together some of the world’s most (fictitious) renowned voices with real-life archival footage spanning the past 12 months.” Netflix has billed “Death to 2020” as “the cathartic comedy event you’ll never forget,” and the project has a suitably memorable cast: “Death to 2020” will feature well-known talents ranging from Samuel L. Jackson and Hugh Grant to Lisa Kudrow, Kumail Nanjiani, Tracey Ullman, Samson Kayo, Leslie Jones, Diane Morgan, Cristin Milioti, and Joe Keery, among others. Brooker and Jones serve as executive producers and Alison Marlow serves as producer.
Grant referenced the Netflix project in a recent interview that centered on his work in HBO’s recently-released “The Undoing;” where he noted that he would portray a historian (with a fancy wig) who would discuss how repellent 2020 has been. “Charlie Brooker has written a mockumentary about 2020. It’s for Netflix,” Grant said. “I’m pretty repellent, actually! And you’ll like my wig.” Anyone who saw ‘The Undoing,’ the HBO miniseries co-starring Nicole Kidman that wrapped on Sunday, realizes Grant knows a thing or two about being repellent.” As for Brooker and Jones, the duo’s “Black Mirror” has become one of Netflix’s standout titles. The British show began streaming on Netflix in 2016 and released its three-episode Season 5 in 2019. Booker mused in a May 2020 interview that the state of the real world was too bleak for a sixth season of “Black Mirror” and noted that although he thought there wasn’t any stomach for “stories about societies falling apart,” he was eager to revisit his “comic skill set” and make himself laugh. Check out the trailer for “Death to 2020” below:
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