'Black Mirror' is back, and your nightmares will never be the same

In 2011, a caustic British comedy writer named Charlie Brooker debuted a drama series that took some absurd premises about near-future technology and played them straight. It was funny to Brooker, but terrifyingly real to the rest of us. Despite only screening two seasons and six episodes -- each a one-off story -- the show became a cult hit in the UK. When it reached the U.S. via Netflix in 2013, it invaded American brains too (even before the 2014 Christmas special starring Jon Hamm). At this point the show has burrowed into our collective consciousness, and our collective conscience, like a robotic insect.