The 20 Best 'Black Mirror' Episodes, Ranked

• Season 5, Episode 2
• IMDb rating: 7.5

As mentioned before, many episodes of Black Mirror boil down to “social is bad!” and “Smithereens” is no different. However, the cast of this episode, including Andrew Scott and Topher Grace, takes it from a more rudimentary entry in the series into something worth watching.

• Season 5, Episode 1
• IMDb rating: 6.9

If a relationship takes place in a virtual world, does that make it any less real? “Striking Vipers” follows two long-time friends who have always bonded over their love of a certain fighting game. As technology grows more advanced, so does their relationship, which, naturally, begins to affect their lives back in the real world.

• Season 1, Episode 2
• IMDb rating: 8.0

A grim take on reality TV and how desensitized we’re becoming to it, “Fifteen Million Merits” takes place in a world where most people ride stationary bikes to earn credits. He uses his credits to help a woman get on a singing competition show, which, since this is Black Mirror, does not go well.

• Season 3, Episode 2
• IMDb rating: 8.1

Short on cash? Ever thought of testing out a new virtual reality game to make some money? “Playtest” follows an American traveler who is in need of some money and takes a company up on their offer to give their new virtual reality simulator a spin. However, those worlds begin colliding, and his grip on reality becomes looser and looser, leading to devastating consequences.

• Season 3, Episode 6
• IMDb rating: 8.5

The longest Black Mirror episode to date, “Hated in the Nation,” takes place in a world where robotic bees are attacking people due to the use of a particular hashtag on social media. At this point, the idea that “social media might actually be bad” is a bit old hat for Black Mirror, but “Hated in the Nation” takes it to another level.

• Season 4, Episode 6
• IMDb rating: 8.6

Another remarkably dark take on all things technology, “Black Museum,” centers on the aforementioned museum that allows visitors to execute virtual prisoners (who still maintain some sentience) and experience death. A woman named Nish visits the museum for her own reasons, but as the pieces begin to fit together, we understand why she’s arrived there.

• Season 4, Episode 5
• IMDb rating: 6.6

Filmed entirely in black and white, “Metalhead” is what happens if those robot dogs that scientists have been working on suddenly try to kill us all. The plot of “AI attacks humans” is fairly straightforward for Black Mirror; the real attraction is the cinematography and choice to film it in black and white, adding to the eeriness of the setting.

• 2018 special
• IMDb rating: 7.1

If you’ve seen “Bandersnatch,” I know what you’re thinking: “That episode wasn’t that good!” 

It’s being included on this list because the “choose your own adventure” format that it uses makes it worth a watch. While the story isn’t the strongest, giving the viewer the opportunity to shape the direction it heads in is something that everyone should experience.

• Season 3, Episode 5
• IMDb rating: 7.5

As warfare becomes more and more remote, with pilots operating murderous drones from thousands of miles away, “Men on Fire” looks at the infusion of technology in warfare and the effects it might have on the future. In this episode, we follow soldiers battling mutated humans through the use of virtual reality technology, but everything is not what it seems.

• Season 2, Episode 1
• IMDb rating: 8.0

We may not know what happens after we die, but we do have an idea of what happens to our online presence. This is at the center of the episode “Be Right Back,” which follows a grieving woman trying to keep her deceased husband in her life using an algorithm made of his life on social media. It’s a bizarre concept, but then again, nothing in Black Mirror is normal.

• Season 4, Episode 3
• IMDb rating: 7.3

Ah, yes, insurance companies; Everyone’s favorite people to deal with on the planet.

In the world established in “Crocodile,” insurance companies have the ability to tap into people’s memories in order to establish the pattern of events in insurance claims. After using this tool to investigate a claim, an insurance investigator soon discovers that there is something much darker at play in this accident.

• 2014 Special
• IMDb rating: 9.1

Black Mirror’s take on the most magical time of year, the “White Christmas” special, is a story with three interconnected narratives that result, in typical Black Mirror fashion, a bleak ending. As more and more truths are revealed, “White Christmas” becomes one of Black Mirror’s most fascinating watches.

• Season 4, Episode 2
• IMDb rating: 7.3

Is it ethical to spy on your children, even if the goal is to keep them safe? “Arkangel” asks this question as it tells the story of a woman, Marie, who is desperate to ensure that her daughter stays safe. Marie does this by having a chip planted in her daughter’s head that enables her to control what she sees and tracks her location at all times.

• Season 3, Episode 3
• IMDb rating: 8.4

While the idea of an FBI agent watching us through our computers has become a running internet joke at this point, “Shut Up and Dance” follows two people who are being blackmailed by a hacker. As they dance to his tune, the stakes increasingly become more and more dangerous and deadly, leading to an incredibly dark conclusion.

• Season 1, Episode 3
• IMDb rating: 8.5

What if you could relive every single memory from your entire life? Would you even want to? 

In “The Entire History of You,” a device is implanted in people’s brains, which allows them to revisit their memories whenever they choose. Naturally, the implications of this prove to be rather dark and disturbing, leading to chaos for the main character, Liam.

• Season 1, Episode 1
• IMDb rating: 7.7

Any list such as this one would be incomplete without including the episode that started it all. The premise of “The National Anthem” is fairly bonkers: The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom must have sex with a pig on live television; otherwise, a kidnapped member of the Royal Family will be executed.

• Season 4, Episode 4
• IMDb rating: 8.7

People want romance, and they want to find that special someone to fall in love with. However, that requires doing something we all hate: Dating. “Hang the DJ” is Black Mirror’s answer to the question, “What if we took all of the things we hated about dating and let someone (or something) do it for us?”Since it’s Black Mirror, nothing is quite what it seems with the dating apps involved, but it nonetheless makes for one of the show’s best episodes.

• Season 4, Episode 1
• IMDb rating: 8.3

A Star Trek parody that quickly unravels as more sinister layers begin to be peeled back, “USS Callister” stars Jesse Plemons as Captain Robert Daly, who leads the illustrious crew of the aforementioned starship. We follow the crew on their adventures, but a new crew member senses something is wrong with the whole scenario, and we soon discover why.

• Season 3, Episode 1
• IMDb rating: 8.3

“Nosedive” takes a closer look at the impact and influence that social media has over our everyday lives. In the case of this universe, it literally controls day-to-day life. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Lacie, “Nosedive” follows her quest to increase her rating, which is based on every social interaction a person has.

• Season 3, Episode 4
• IMDb rating: 8.5

Unlike many of the other Black Mirror episodes, “San Junipero” is a story of love, loss, and how far you’re willing to go to be with the ones you care about. As with all stories in this series, technology is involved, and we meet the shy Yorkie as she begins a relationship with the more outgoing Kelly, and we discover that San Junipero is not just a place but an existence.