‘Girls5eva’ Creator Says The Streamberry Reference in Season 3 Was Netflix’s Idea

Did the Streamberry reference in the Girls5eva Season 3 finale leave you pointing at your television screen like Leonardo DiCaprio in that viral meme? The latest season of the all-star musical comedy includes a clever nod to Black Mirror. Wondering where the reference came from? The showrunner told us that it was all Netflix‘s idea.

Girls5eva follows the fictional eponymous ’90s girl group, comprised of Sara Bareilles as Dawn, Renee Elise Goldsberry as Wickie, Busy Philipps as Summer, and Paula Pell as Gloria, as they reunite in the present after one of their songs is sampled by an up-and-coming rapper. 

The show is created by Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt alum Meredith Scardino and executive produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock.

The third season premiered March 14, 2024 on Netflix, following the show’s cancellation by Peacock, and follows Girls5eva on their comeback tour to promote their latest album. Along the way, the marvelous diva Wickie decides to document their journey to create a documentary.

Episode 6, “New York,” sees Wickie attempt to sell the documentary to a variety of executives, some of whom work at the fictional Streamberry.

If you’re not familiar with the Black Mirror universe, Streamberry was introduced in the first episode of the sixth season, “Joan is Awful,” which follows a businesswoman who discovers that the global streaming platform Streamberry  — an obvious spoof of Netflix — released a television adaptation about her life. The fictional streamer appears later in the season in a gruesome episode about a group of documentarians investigating a local unsolved serial killer.

When it comes to Streamberry being mentioned in the musical comedy series, showrunner Scardino told Decider that it was Netflix’s idea. “We have this scene in Episode 6 where Wickie pitches her documentary to a streamer, and I don’t know what we had it called at one point,” Scardino said. “But anyway, Andy Weil [VP of Original Series at Netflix] was like, ‘Do you guys want it to be Streamberry? Because that would be a fun Easter egg for Black Mirror.’ And we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s do it!’ It was before [the Black Mirror episode] came out.”

The hilarious reference emphasizes Girls5eva‘s synergy with its new streaming home, which picked up the series in 2021, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Netflix exclusively premiered the third season and simultaneously added the first two to its catalog.

During our conversation, Scardino praised the streamer and called them supporters of the series. “They were wonderfully supportive of the show from the jump… I have emails from Andy and Tracey [Pakosta, VP of Original Series at Netflix] loving the show when it first came out on Peacock. They’ve always loved it. I’m so happy to work with them.”

Hopefully, this is just the start of the relationship between our new favorite series and Netflix. What’s next? “Big Pussy Energy” playing in the background of a future Black Mirror episode?

Girls5eva is currently streaming on Netflix.