WhenBlack Mirror’s sixth season hit Netflix, reception was mixed at its best. Many claimed the show lost its original, incisive style anddystopian predictions that turned true. This last series shifted its core, aiming strongly against the entertainment industry’s worst practices in the first two episodes, but later on, they opted for more experimental episodes (and a more traditional retrofuturistic scenario, a regular format in the show).A recent event has paralyzed Hollywood as it hadn’t happened in years. The SAG-AFTRA Strike has writers and actors on the streets claiming that the advance of AI technology and the decision of big studios to use them in production is taking a toll on salaries, jobs, and, ultimately, the quality of the content. The future is uncertain, but the industry won’t be the same after this conflict is resolved, and it’s no longer a matter of Hollywood workers only, as viewers will see a decrease in production soon enough.The interesting fact that ties these two events together is that there is aBlack Mirrorthat pretty much foretold what’s going on in the streaming platforms because of these practices.Joan is Awful, the sixth series’ opening episode, showed us a glimpse of what AI content looks like in the most sarcastic way possible. How did this episode become a reality so fast?
What’s the Effect of AI on Hollywood’s Content?
The best person who best summed up the current issue was none other than Fran Drescher, the belovedNannynow SAG-AFTRA President. In her latest speech for the strike’s press conference, Drescher raises the important question of who is the center of the wheel in the industry. The spokeswoman puts the artist first, claiming that the decision-makers in business are ignoring this, trying to replace themwith AI labor.
Drescher’s passionate speech also takes on profits and CEO greed, but in terms of content, her remarks on technology replacing human work are key to understanding the whole situation. As Fran Drescher describes, the entire business model has changed with the rise of streaming services and AI, making this a pivotal point in entertainment history. The contracts between studios and workers no longer represent the original terms of their agreements, and the results are showing in what viewers are watching. Whatever happens next should redefine the industry onward.
In the same tenor, andaffecting every performer in front of a camerawho is not a big-time Hollywood star (a.k.a. 99% of them), this short clip sums up how negotiations between studios and actors for the use of their likeness are going. Cutting their pay to just one day’s work not only doesn’t provide a proper livelihood for them but also deprives them of their right to their image, their one true asset.
Related:The Biggest Misconceptions of the Ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strike (& Why You Should Care)
The conflict has many more points to address and different perspectives, but it is precisely these aforementioned topics pointed out by Drescher that can be seen inBlack Mirror’sJoan is Awful.
Why Joan is Awful Was Right About Hollywood’s Latest Strike
Premiered on July 19, 2025, alongside the other four,Joan is Awfulis a hot takeon how content personalization may take the wrong turn while trying to offer viewers what to watch. The story follows Joan Tait, a working woman in her 30s portrayed by Annie Murphy. She works in a high-paying (and equally stressful) job and lives a mediocre love life, pretty much like any millennial facing an early and childless middle-aged crisis. The conflict arises when she finds a Streamberry (the meta Netflix reference) show of her life.
The other true protagonist of the episode, and the clear reference to how it’s happening as we speak, is Salma Hayek. Playing herself, Hayek’s face is put on Joan’s Streamberry version, all through a contract she signed with little knowledge. This authorized the studio to use her looks however they pleased, not only paying her unfairly but using her image in the most ridiculous and brand-damaging ways. Dissociating the worker from the result of their work is where the satire hits hard inJoan is Awful, and also one of the centers of the discussion.
Related:Black Mirror: The 10 Most Jaw-Dropping Episode Endings, Ranked
As Hayek’s character references the worker’s side of the conflict, Murphy’s role gives an idea of it from the viewers’ perspective. Personalization is exaggerated through the retelling of her story (with uncomfortable creative freedom for Joan to suffer through), but it actually reflects how audiences provide excessive personal data by consuming content.
Social media and ads are already showing viewers personalized information, which is much more than a preferred artist or a friend’s post.Joan is Awful’s biggest warning is to challenge what the individual thinks the platforms know about them, and the interaction between AI-generated and personalized content, far from being more customized, is basically the opposite, based on repeated trends from marketing standards.
That’s summarized in Michael’s Cera scene in the episode, where he reveals how many generic “(Name) is Awful” shows have been produced and how the more positive ones didn’t stick.
Once more, even with some asking forideas to save the show,Black Mirrorproved itself a sardonic predictor of the worst scenarios of technological misuse. The SAG-AFTRA is like a silent prequel episode of the worst ending, which resemblesJoan is Awfulin many ways.
