Every Black Mirror episode, ranked!

There are very few people on this earth with quite as much right to say “I told you so” as the former Guardian scribe turned dystopian soothsayer Charlie Brooker. When he launched Black Mirror on Channel 4 back in 2010 it was a very different world to the post-Covid, ‘rich pop stars go to space for a laugh’, technocratic nightmare we now inhabit, and through the show Brooker has consistently warned us, year after year, just how badly things would turn out.

Did we listen to him? Absolutely not. What we did do however was marvel in Black Mirror becoming one of the finest TV series in history, consistently exposing the dangers involved in our inexorable meshing with machines and happily signing over our most private information to some pumped-up nerds in California to do whatever they like with.

Here we rank all 34 episodes, including the specials and the fiendishly inventive interactive one-off movie ‘Bandersnatch’ - but do you agree with the order?

34. Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (Season 5)

A bit of a strange one this, as Miley Cyrus is drafted in to essentially play herself as a futuristic robot doll singing pop versions of Nine Inch Nails songs. Although it’s apparently a very accurate portrayal of the more controlling aspects of the music biz, that’s only relatable to a very small number of people - and while Miley gives it her all it's not enough to save the episode from sitting at the bottom of the list.

33. Striking Vipers (Season 5)

Perhaps in an attempt to recreate some of the magic of previous same-sex love story San Junipero, this season five opener examined what might happen if a bromance were allowed to truly flourish in another virtual surrounding. Hanging on a slightly superfluous but addictive Street Fighter-style video game is a friendship between two men who aren’t sure if things are strictly platonic or not. Didn’t really work.

32. The Waldo Moment (Season 2)

Something of a statement on UK politics rather than advancing tech, the Waldo Moment is more of a comedy than a drama and took some flack when originally aired due to the dubious voice of the titular character and some slightly ropey dialogue. While there are some amusing moments, this one is not really a highlight.

31. Mazey Day (Season 6)

Set in the early 2000s when the paparazzi really did hound celebrities into an early grave, Mazey Day is a passable Black Mirror episode with less of a focus on technology and with an ending that the critics did not like at all. Showing both sides of the media circus for the first half hour or so, the story then takes a very surprising turn into the supernatural. It didn’t really work and ranks as one of the poorer BM efforts.

30. Shut up and Dance (Season 3)

Thematically very dark, this episode moves away from science fiction and instead explores the temptations of the sinister side of the web and the paranoia of impressionable young men. A great performance in the lead role by Alex Lawther, but the ending divided many viewers who weren’t sure if they should sympathise or not.

29. Arkangel (Season 4)

An episode directed by Jodie Foster set in small town America showed just how far Black Mirror had travelled in six years. The cautionary tale of helicopter parenting and tech-reliance seems more topical now after the success of fellow Netflix drama Adolescence in highlighting the constant dangers of youngsters viewing uncensored content online.

28. Hotel Reverie (Season 7)

An interesting concept as a classic movie is remade using AI and conscience transferal to transport a modern day actress back to reprise a famous role. Awkwafina tries to keep control of things as they inevitably go awry and Issa Rae’s character gets stuck in a virtual black and white world. It’s a fun experiment that unravels to reveal a darker side to the plot, but would have been much cooler had the subject movie been a real life film that we all know and love. It’s also too long.

27. Smithereens (Season 5)

While not as much of an overt warning about the march of technology on our lives as other BM instalments, Smithereens does reflect on our handing over our most private details to apps and how our phones have become not just an addiction but an extension of us. It’s a little too knowing however and there isn’t much sympathy for Andrew Scott’s Uber driver character even when his tragic past is revealed and he’s surrounded by armed police.

26. Hated in the Nation (Season 3)

Judgemental killer robot bees might be a bit far-fetched even in the Black Mirror universe, and so it proved in the slightly hit and miss final episode of season three. While it has some impressive, panicked scenes and an effective take on cancel culture, it isn’t one of Brooker’s best.

25. Crocodile (Season 4)

An especially bleak and violent slice of Black Mirror, Crocodile pairs two of the show's oft-repeated themes, that of recorded memory and moral quandary. Andrea Riseborough is one of Britain’s finest actors and elevates the episode through her performance as a desperate woman trying to hide a murderous truth from technology.

24. Black Museum (Season 4)

Another ‘three-in-one’ episode along the lines of 2014’s White Christmas, Black Museum is a gruesome affair but is packed with easter eggs to spot, one in fact referencing every BM episode up to that point. Some felt the storytelling on show here a little convoluted, possibly due to the fact it was a joint writing effort between Brooker and magician Penn Jillette.

23. Men Against Fire (Season 3)

Anyone who enjoyed Paul Verhoeven’s classic spaceroach-blaster Starship Troopers will find plenty to like in this episode, as future soldiers are conditioned by augmented reality and military propaganda to cleanse the world of certain ethnic groups. It’s even more worryingly pertinent now than when released in 2016.

22. Loch Henry (Season 6)

Sometimes what Black Mirror does fantastically well is simply spin a good yarn and that’s the case in this creepy episode, the tale of two young lovers looking to make a documentary film to pitch to Netflix about the torture and murder of people going missing in a remote Scottish village. It’s an engrossing watch with some disturbing scenes that neatly uses found footage to drag you into the mystery.

21. Plaything (Season 7)

A trip back to the 1990s and some of the Bandersnatch characters here, in this cautionary tale of what happens when you raise a bunch of cute virtual Tamagotchis and then give them access to an infinite amount of computer power (clue: nothing good). Heavily influenced by Charlie Brooker’s early years as a video game reviewer, it’s a slow reveal with some nice retro touches and plenty of easter eggs.

20. Nosedive

Bryce Dallas Howard is superb as a woman absolutely obsessed with her social media ratings, inhabiting a picture-perfect world where only the most popular can survive. Partly penned by Parks and Rec star Rashida Jones, Nosedive is a solidly funny hour, especially compared to other episodes in season three.

19. Demon 79 (Season 6)

It’s tough to think of another TV show that could pull this off: a demonic vigilante story framed by the racism rife in the UK in the late ‘70s. So authentically shot it could almost be newsreel footage, Paapa Essiedu’s flamboyant underworld disco demon adds a level of humour that shouldn’t be possible given the subject matter and the extended runtime allows the action to be truly immersive - right up to the explosive final moments.

18. Joan is Awful (Season 6)

By season six, Brooker had reached the point where he felt happy biting the hand that fed him, and so we got this Netflix-parodying, Truman Show update with Salma Hayek realising each moment of her life is the subject of a hit show streamed to millions. Funny and with a riotous ending, Joan is Awful also somehow managed to predict the rise of ChatGPT before it all went mental.

17. Bete Noire (Season 7)

A fun reminder never to bully the geeky kid at school lest they come back to haunt you in later life having invented some kind of mind-altering tech, this is an enjoyable effort with a couple of great lead performances from Siena Kelly and Rosy McEwen. It’s made all the better by the horrifyingly accurate rendition of what it’s like to be in a modern day office. “It’s a fun place to work, we’ll add you to the whatsapp group, there’s loads of memes.” Vomit.

16. Hang the DJ (Season 4)

A great example of Black Mirror’s genius in crystallising the movements in society earlier than most and spitting them back at us is Hang the DJ, as the disposable nature of dating apps comes under Brooker’s spotlight. There’s an optimistic tone underneath here though as a lovestruck couple defy the odds and tech to come together time and again.

15. Beyond The Sea (Season 6)

Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul stars alongside Josh Hartnett in this excellent slice of ‘60s space exploration that comes with a big techno twist - namely that their astronaut characters (deep into a six year mission) can jump in and out of their replicas back on earth when required. Typically for Black Mirror, the time travelling is utterly convincing in look and feel and both actors bring their A game.

14. USS Callister: Into Infinity (Season 7)

We go back on board the USS Callister after almost eight years away to round off the latest season in a BM sequel that doesn’t disappoint, even up against the weight of expectation as one of the franchise favourites. Pretty much all the original stars including Jesse Plemons are present and correct and the extended running time twinned with great effects make this feel like a fully fledged Black Mirror movie. Fingers crossed it turns into a trilogy.

13. Common People (Season 7)

Good lord this is unremittingly bleak. But it pinpoints the world we currently find ourselves in; a struggle to find enough cash to get by, tech companies constantly asking for more money and raising prices and the desperation to keep up with those who have enough. Chris O’Dowd excels as a working man willing to do anything to keep his fiance alive - literally anything. The scariest touch comes as her brain implant forces her to advertise products without even realising - and it is all too believable.

12. Bandersnatch (Special)

Although originally planned as a season five episode, Bandersnatch became a stand-alone film thanks to its length and complexity; the interactive choose-your-own-path element rendering it quite unlike any TV show made before. Dazzlingly inventive and with so many potential choices for the viewer there are literally a trillion story possibilities, it took home two Emmys and prompted Brooker to reunite characters in season seven, including the uber-talented Will Poulter. Mind-bogglingly good.

11. The National Anthem (Season 1)

Kicking the whole thing off on a grand scale, the very first slice of Black Mirror was a gripping and twisted imagining of a government scandal on a shocking level as Rory Kinnear’s Prime Minister is blackmailed into partaking in televised bestiality while a nation watches on appalled. It set the tone perfectly for what was to come from Brooker.

10. Be Right Back (Season 2)

One of the more affecting Black Mirror episodes, Be Right Back asks the question of what we would give up to get a loved one back from the dead, as Hayley Atwell’s character uses advances in synthetic tech to resurrect her boyfriend played by Dom Gleeson, with desperate consequences. The moment where she first meets his AI counterpart is memorable to say the least.

9. White Bear (Season 2)

A thrilling ride right from the off, like being dropped into a cross between a very British Squid Games and Kill List, White Bear is another vicious Brooker commentary on the dubious moral compass of the public, twinned with the creepiest use of camera phones ever. Action packed and incredibly dark, it has a great trademark twist at the end.

8. The Entire History of You (Season 1)

A long-running favourite among Black Mirror fans is this brilliantly clairvoyant and voyeuristic examination of what might happen if literally everything in life was recorded in real time and replayable, either immediately or years later. Darker in tone than the other season one installments, it was the first episode not to be written by Brooker and featured a terrifyingly obsessive performance by Toby Kebbell.

7. Playtest (Season 3)

One of the most disturbing Black Mirror episodes is undoubtedly Playtest, an almost straight-up horror packed with jump-scares featuring a man trapped in a video game, placing in him a simulated mansion that confronts him with his darkest fears. Wyatt Russell is fantastic as the petrified subject trying to make sense of it all.

Fun fact: Charlie Brooker hates spiders - so naturally this contains a massive one.

6. Fifteen Million Merits (Season 1)

Six years before Daniel Kaluuya found himself trapped by a psychotic girlfriend in ‘Get Out’ he was a prisoner in this claustrophobic take on a Simon Cowell-esque reality show, written by Brooker and his wife. A bleaker spin on a Ready Player One style existence where everyone has a twin avatar and accrues ‘life points’, the highlight is Kaluuya exploding into an astonishing monologue that turns the episode upside down.

5. Metalhead (Season 4)

Anyone worried by the idea that machines of our making might eventually turn on us should give this one a wide berth. Shot menacingly in black and white and recalling the constant threat of films like Duel and The Terminator, an android dog relentlessly pursues a frantic woman across a dystopian, desolate UK landscape. Much, much scarier than that sounds.

4. USS Callister (Season 4)

Multi-Emmy award winning, this is Brooker’s creativity at its absolute peak; a note-perfect Star Trek pastiche, a fantasy world for those frustrated daily by annoying work colleagues and even a prescient tie-in with the #metoo movement. The only BM episode to deservedly get a sequel, which came in the form of season seven’s “Into Infinity”.

3. White Christmas (Special)

By 2014 Black Mirror had caught the attention of Hollywood, which meant the likes of Mad Men’s Jon Hamm could be hired to star to brilliant effect in this nightmare Christmas compendium with a jaw-dropping twist worthy of M Night Shylaman himself. Stuffed full of clever touches that demand repeated views, being blocked by someone has never seemed quite so scary.

2. San Junipero (Season 4)

Cited by many as the finest ever Black Mirror episode, San Junipero is a wonderful, perfectly realised step back in time to 1980s California, as well as a glimpse into what escapes technology might one day offer those who suffer unduly in life.

On top of all that, it’s a tear jerking love story, with an amazing soundtrack, and packs a huge twist too. Astonishing stuff.

1. Eulogy (Season 7)

A remarkable piece of television that in just 47 minutes takes in human fallibility, regret, male anger, alcohol dependency and ultimately redemption. It’s beautifully shot and masterfully acted by Paul Giamatti and Patsy Ferran, the futuristic technology at play allowing the central characters to step into photographs and relive moments, in a similar feel to A Christmas Carol. Giamatti’s desperation at his own past actions has you pulling for him and then gradually realising how flawed and damaged he is.

For anyone who has loved and lost, or who wishes they could just somehow go back and have one more try at things, this is a heartbreaking episode.

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Main image credit: Netflix / Future