'The Push' Won't Be Derren Brown's Only Netflix Collaboration

Netflix's new special The Push is an experiment intended to see if a normal, morally upstanding person can be coerced into committing murder thanks to a series of contrived circumstances. It's the work of noted British mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown, and it might be so unsettling to watch that you find yourself craving a little more closure once it's done. But will The Push have more episodes on Netflix?

The Push is, and was always intended to be, a one-off special. There doesn't appear to be any plan to follow up on the subject of The Push, though some viewers may wonder how the guy at the center of it all is coping with the attempt to manipulate him into murder. While The Push might be new to Netflix subscribers, it's not actually a new work by Brown. It first aired in the U.K. in 2016 on Channel 4 under the title Derren Brown: Pushed to the Edge, and there was no continuation of it then either.

However, that doesn't mean it's the end of Brown's collaboration with Netflix. This was the first of three specials of his that will be released on the streaming site according to Deadline, and it seems like each will be a single, self-contained experiment of some kind.

The second special of Brown's that will be made available on Netflix is called Derren Brown: Miracle, and it also previously premiered in the U.K. on Channel 4. It was an experiment with faith healing intended to expose how false the practice is, and it followed another Brown series called Miracles for Sale that dealt with the same topic. The Guardian described Brown as highly critical of people who purport to be faith healers, though he also seemingly cured one audience member's rheumatoid arthritis, another's toothache, and a third's poor vision over the course of Miracle.

Those interested in The Push will likely be just as intrigued by Brown's second outing. The date of its Netflix debut hasn't been announced yet, though dedicated viewers might be able to find it elsewhere online since it is an older special being re-packaged for Netflix.

The third experiment of Brown's premiering on Netflix is a good deal more mysterious. So far no details about it have been made public, possibly to keep the element of surprise firmly in place. However, Deadline did report that it would be "as 'daring' and 'jaw-dropping' as previous efforts," so it seems fair to assume that the new program will be in the same mold as both The Push and Miracle in that it will tackle some pretty extreme themes for the sake of uncovering something about human behavior.

Brown has become known for stunts that defy belief while edging into some questionable territory. His numerous shows, specials, and stage performances in the U.K. have had a tinge of psychological manipulation to them. He has convinced people to commit armed robbery, played a game of live Russian Roulette, and even persuaded someone to steal a baby. It seems Brown has an interest in analyzing how people react to authority figures, as he said in The Push:

Authority can come from a person, a group of like-minded individuals or an ideology. It can help keep public order but it can also push people to commit terrible acts. [...] Can social compliance make someone push a living, breathing human being to their death?

With that in mind, it's possible that the third, brand new special Brown is creating for Netflix may also cover similar ground, or at the very least explore the same idea in a new (and probably very shocking) way.

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