Netflix's sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror is known for its iconic, bleak and often prophetic tech dystopian stories. Originally a UK-based Channel 4 program, the series moved to Netflix in 2016, expanding its reach globally and introducing American perspectives and talent into the classically cynical British TV show.
In recent years the anthology's reputation has wavered, often producing hit-or-miss seasons with predictable storylines — with the West's flirtations with fascism meaning that the show doesn't offer the escapism it once did. So, in the spirit of our current techno-dystopia, we've ranked the 10 best episodes of the series, and the five absolute worst.
Black Mirror's 10 Best Episodes:
10. Bandersnatch
(Stand-alone film, 2018)
The first and only Black Mirror movie, the interactive Bandersnatch follows young programmer Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) in 1984, who is adapting a fantasy Choose Your Own Adventure-style book into a video game with the help of Mohan Thakur (Asim Chaudhry) and Colin Ritman (Will Poulter), employees of a trendy video game company.
We, the viewer, choose Stefan's actions: we can choose what cereal Stefan eats, what he tells his therapist, whether to take LSD and jump out of a window, or whether to kill his dad (Craig Parkinson). In Bandersnatch, Black Mirror hands us the reins, and asks the audience to explore each possible timeline.
Innovative and truly one-of-a-kind, it's a trippy game to play on your own, and, even better, to enjoy with a group of friends.
9. "USS Callister"
Season 4, Episode 1 (2017)
Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons) is a socially awkward, reclusive tech genius and co-founder of a massively popular VR multiplayer game — except his co-workers don't treat him like one. Frustrated with the lack of recognition, Daly simulates a Star Trek-like server within the game, cloning digital copies of his co-workers to act as his shipmates, where the petulant programmer tyrannically rules over them.
The only Black Mirror episode to receive a sequel (Season 7's "USS Callister: Into Infinity"), "USS Callister" also stands as one of the few episodes that's an overt comedy as well as a drama, injecting some much needed laughter into a series that often prefers to drown in pessimism. It's a romp!
8. "Eulogy"
Season 7, Episode 5 (2025)
Paul Giamatti delivers an incredibly raw performance in the vulnerable, honest dissection of a bitter man literally diving into old photos (with the help of an AI system) of an early-life girlfriend (Hazel Monaghan) who broke his heart.
"Eulogy" could easily be a play, as the majority of the screen time sees Giamatti monologuing back-and-forth with the AI woman (Patsy Ferran) who's guiding him through the pre-funeral package sent by his ex's family. It's a hyper-focused episode that excels in its precision, and guaranteed to leave viewers sobbing like a baby.
7. "The Entire History of You"
Season 1, Episode 3 (2011)
In the near future, people have implants that record everything each individual sees, hears and thinks, which comes in handy when Liam (Toby Kebbell) suspects his wife of having an affair.
Taking place over the course of a couple of days, young dad Liam spirals as he dissects glances and giggles from a dinner with friends via his memory pool, resulting in spats with his wife and family friends. After dragging the babysitter into the drama and getting in a physical fight with the potential "other man," Liam confronts his wife with clues he dug up from within his memories.
Black Mirror produces some of its best content through focusing on interpersonal dramas. Liam's obsession with his wife's suspicious behaviour is achingly relatable to anyone who has experienced infidelity, and warns us about the potential dangers of getting lost in the past.
6. "Hang the DJ"
Season 4, Episode 4 (2017)
Frank (Joe Cole) and Amy (Georgina Campbell) are paired together via an algorithm promising to eventually match each user with their soulmate, through setting users up first with a list of imperfect partners with pre-selected end dates. The algorithm breaks them up prematurely, prompting Frank and Amy to abandon the system and attempt an escape together.
The futuristic tech within "Hang the DJ" is sweet and optimistic — a rarity when it comes to depicting dating apps. The chemistry between the leads make the couple easy to root for, and the romantic ending is touching and well deserved.
5. "Nosedive"
Season 3, Episode 1 (2016)
Ugh, influencers.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays a ladder-climbing, insecure office worker in a society where popularity, defined by a score displayed on social profiles, determines an individual's house, job and public reputation. Social capital turns into a literal commodity, and the ability to schmooze defines quality of life.
Lacie (Howard) wants a better life for herself, so she chases after an elitist ex-friend to hopefully mooch off of the influencer's top tier rating. It's the quintessential Black Mirror story — the, "what if phone, but too much" warning. It's a terrifying and exhausting predictor of evolving yuppie culture.
4. "Be Right Back"
Season 2, Episode 1 (2013)
A day after couple Martha (Hayley Atwell) and Ash (Domhnall Gleeson) move to a remote cottage, Ash is killed in a car accident. As Martha grieves, her friend recommends a new service that allows Martha to live with an AI version of her dead ex.
Universally relatable, and a reality that feels incredibly close, "Be Right Back" explores an ache that everyone at some point will have to contend with: that people we love are going to pass. If given the opportunity to recreate their personality, knowing that the real person is never coming back, would we choose the imitation?
Devastating and moving, when Black Mirror tackles grief, it goes all in.
3. "Fifteen Million Merits"
Season 1, Episode 2 (2011)
Ever wondered what life would be like if consuming content slop wasn't the escape, but the job itself?
In the second ever episode of Black Mirror, Bing (Daniel Kaluuya) lives out his days in a techno-capitalist dystopia where working class people work daily shifts riding stationary bikes that generate electricity while surrounded by wall-to-wall screens playing a variety of entertainment. The riders collect "merits" as currency, working towards collecting 15 million in order to buy a ticket to audition for Hot Shot — a virtual talent show akin to The X Factor.
From a time when the series was still running on a full tank of gas, "Fifteen Million Merits" captures the true philosophy of the anthology. Since its debut, the episode has become deeply ironic, representing Black Mirror's own role in the world's spiralling descent, itself becoming a content slop machine and the commodification of dissent.
2. "White Christmas"
(Christmas special, 2014)
This one-off anthology-within-an-anthology Christmas special covers three separate but intrinsically linked thrillers stacked inside of one another, similar to a nesting doll. These types of episodes are few and far between, but are always the strength of any given season.
Jon Hamm (who does a great job at playing an absolute creep) stars as a middle-aged man sharing a remote snowy outpost with a colleague, swapping disturbing stories from their earlier lives. A familiar Black Mirror downer, this episode has little optimism about the potential good that tech advancements could provide us as a species. It's deliciously dark, and has an unexpected twist that more recent seasons fail to fully deliver.
For those of us who feel the need to put a damper on the overly cheerful holiday season, "White Christmas" will get the job done.
1. "San Junipero"
Season 3, Episode 4 (2016)
It's one of the series' most famous episodes for a reason. This queer romance matches the introverted, closeted Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) with extroverted, confident Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) in the beach town of San Junipero in the '80s, where the two women form a bond that travels through decades.
The depicted techno future in this episode isn't self-serving, profit-driven or power-hungry — it's about bettering the human experience. "San Junipero" is about forgiveness and taking a chance at a better life. The romance never needed the Black Mirror label to succeed; it's a gorgeous story in its own right, and easily delivers the most optimistic episode of the entire series.
Black Mirror's 5 Worst Episodes:
5. "The Waldo Moment"
Season 2, Episode 3 (2013)
Daniel Rigby portrays Jamie Salter, a dissatisfied English comedian who plays a vulgar, animated bear interviewing public figures under the guise of a kids' TV show (think The Eric Andre Show). When conservative politician Liam Monroe (Tobias Menzies) becomes upset about being duped by appearing on the show, he complains — and in response, Salter decides to run as Waldo in an election against Monroe.
The ridiculousness of a cartoon comedian bear running as a candidate in a political campaign might've been absurd in 2013 when the episode first aired, but followed by Trump's win in the US a few years later, any silliness to laugh about is immediately replaced with sour anxiety.
"The Waldo Moment" thinks of itself as high political commentary, but the blue bear is too obnoxious and unfunny to gather support from viewers, let alone any voters in the story. Like the Waldo campaign itself, this episode proves to be a dragging waste of time.
4. "Striking Vipers"
Season 5, Episode 1 (2019)
Old college buddies Danny (Anthony Mackie) and Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) are lonely, approaching 40 and looking to reconnect through a virtual reality version of their favourite college video game, spending evenings after work playing together. Pretty early on, the two discover that the game allows them to do a lot more than just fight: their VR characters (one woman, one man) can bone.
The episode is clearly not intended to be as funny as it is, and despite its semi-dramatic tone, viewers swing from laughing uncomfortably to just being uncomfortable. The episode seemingly wants to explore the lack of intimacy within male friendships, antiquated ideas of masculinity and the fluidity of sexuality — but all we're doing is giggling. The best part of this episode were the memes born from the ruins.
3. "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too"
Season 5, Episode 3 (2019)
Emotionally distant teenage sisters Rachel (Angourie Rice) and Jack (Madison Davenport) grieve after the recent loss of their mother, Rachel feeling particularly isolated as she struggles to make friends at school. Her favourite pop star, Ashley O (Miley Cyrus), releases a doll called Ashley Too, programmed with the musician's personality, that Rachel receives as a gift for her birthday. As the real Ashley O's life turns upside down, she's able to communicate to the girls through the doll, and the sisters are forced to work together to save the pop star's life.
Often dubbed the infamous "Miley Cyrus Episode," the singer gives a decent performance, but she can't redeem the corny results. We feel for the teen protagonists and their inability to connect to one another through their intense grief. A story about teen girls and their relationships to pop culture idols deserves more thoughtful representation than this boring, out-of-touch writing.
2. "Loch Henry"
Season 6, Episode 2 (2023)
Romantic partners and film students Davis (Samuel Blenkin) and Pia (Myha'la Herrold) visit Davis's childhood home in Scotland to film a documentary for their course. Originally, the duo plan to centre the film around a local conservationist, but when Pia, an American, discovers the legend of a local serial killer from the '90s, she decides to change their focus.
The messaging of "Loch Henry" is ham-fisted. The serial killer turns out to be closer to Davis than he realized, and the couple's documentary (available on "Streamberry") upends his life, prodding us to ask the very obvious, blunt question, "Was this ethical?"
Arguably, Netflix are opportunists who take advantage of traumatized and grieving families to churn out true-crime content, so what does that say about Black Mirror being on the same service? The condemnation within "Loch Henry," similar to the more playful Netflix jabs of an episode like "Joan Is Awful," don't have anything of substance to say when the streamer happily takes them on the chin, knowing that the self-referential content is raking in the dough.
1. "Mazey Day"
Season 6, Episode 4 (2023)
It's 2006 and Bo (Zazie Beetz) is a paparazzo on the hunt to take a $30,000 photo of the recently disappeared actor Mazey Day (Clara Rugaard). While tracking the actor, Bo's pursued by other aggressive, competitive paparazzi chasing alongside her. Their efforts prove futile, and ultimately life-threatening, when they finally discover Mazey's hiding spot.
This take on the paparazzi profession is dried up; no one has thought anything mildly positive about the paparazzi since 1997, and adding a supernatural element only takes away from the point of this being included in a Black Mirror season at all. It's easily one of the series' biggest failures.