I could call Black Mirror one of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time, but it feels a little too real to be considered pure “fiction.” Creator Charlie Brooker’s Emmy-winning series — which debuted on British television before becoming a Netflix exclusive made it a worldwide hit — paints a frighteningly accurate portrait of human nature’s darker areas, especially when in response to our increasingly tech-driven world.
However, it is not the only show to create such a profound and thought-provoking effect by employing many of the same relatable themes through a stylistically bizarre lens — and I am not just talking about other great anthology TV shows like this. Yet, highlighting one of the most essential anthology series of all time is how we shall begin this collection of shows Black Mirror fans will surely love.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
A bookworm becoming the last human on Earth after a cataclysmic event, a woman taunted by her doppelgänger, a man believing a dangerous creature is on the wing of his commercial airplane, and many more make up creator and host Rod Serling’s highly influential hit.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Not all of the best Twilight Zone episodes have a technophobic element and neither do some classic Black Mirror stories, but both shows undeniably qualify as a series of bizarre and highly inventive morality plays.
Stream The Twilight Zone on Paramount+.
Stream The Twilight Zone on Freevee through Amazon.
Altered Carbon (2018-2020)
The digitized consciousness of an imprisoned special forces agent wakes up a new body (played by Joel Kinnaman) and assigned by a wealthy man to solve his murder.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: The concept of downloadable consciousness is explored in many of the best Black Mirror episodes and is also the primary focus of one of the best crime TV shows on Netflix, Altered Carbon — creator Laeta Kalogridis’ dystopian hit, which sees Anthony Mackie take on the central role in Season 2.
Stream Altered Carbon on Netflix.
Upload (2020-Present)
The digitized consciousness of a deceased young man (played by Robbie Amell) is sent to an artificial afterlife where he and his real-world handler (played by Andy Allo) begin looking into the cause of his death.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Another mystery series that explores the topic of downloadable consciousness, but with a more lighthearted tone, is Upload, created by former The Office executive producer Greg Daniels.
Stream Upload on Amazon Prime.
Love, Death + Robots (2019-Present)
This series of diverse animated short films include a trio of sentient machines exploring a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a revolutionary artist preparing to debut his magnum opus, a woman at war with her robotic vacuum, and more.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Technology is also a recurring theme in most of the best episodes of Love, Death + Robots, but creator Tim Miller and producer David Fincher’s Emmy-winning Netflix original might be one of the few sci-fi anthologies that surpasses Black Mirror in its bewildering oddities.
Stream Love, Death + Robots on Netflix.
Westworld (2016-2022)
Citizens of a quaint town in the Old West make a shocking a discovery about their existence.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Based on an obscure 1970s B-movie from Michael Crichton, HBO’s unfortunately cancelled hit, Westworld, is a thought-provoking commentary on our growing reliance on technology, set in a future where human beings can indulge in their inner most desires in a community inhabited by unwitting artificial beings.
Mrs. Davis (2023)
A nun (Betty Gilipin) sets out on a dangerous mission to save a world dominated by a manipulative artificial intelligence.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Black Mirror has never really explored the idea of an autonomous AI (yet), but the idea is just as terrifying as anything the show has produced so far, and is made a bit easier to swallow by employing a more comedic tone in Peacock’s critically acclaimed miniseres, Mrs. Davis, from creators Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez.
Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams (2017-2018)
A train station employee (played by Timothy Spall) investigating commutes to non-existent destinations, a policewoman (played by Anna Paquin) questioning what is virtual and what is reality during a VR vacation, and a woman (played Geraldine Chaplin) being granted a visit to a desolate Earth are just some of these strange stories.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Black Mirror and the science fiction genre in general might not be what is today without the influence of author Philip K. Dick, whose own work inspired Electric Dreams — an Emmy-nominated anthology that boast many thought-provoking technological concepts, but also much more.
Stream Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams on Amazon Prime.
Mr. Robot (2015-2019)
A young, disturbed hacking expert (played by Academy Award winner Rami Malek) is given the opportunity to wage war against his corrupt employers when he meets a mysterious man (played by Christian Slater).
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Sometimes Black Mirror does not bother looking into the future, and takes on issues and common fears revolving around technology in the present day — much like creator Sam Esmail’s Emmy-winning hit, Mr. Robot, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest non-HBO prestige dramas today.
Stream Mr. Robot on Amazon Prime.
Severance (2022-Present)
An office worker (Adam Scott) and his colleagues — whose memories of their personal and professional lives are kept surgically separate — begin to question the truth about their job.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: Themes of dystopia, isolation, paranoia, and more of Black Mirror’s specialties are explored in a mind-bendingly mundane setting in creator Dan Erickson and executive producer Ben Stiller’s Severance, which has a second season coming in 2024.
Stream Severance on Apple TV+.
Solos (2021)
The seven stories in this anthology follow a terminally ill man (played by Anthony Mackie) making a polarizing decision for his family’s sake, a space traveler (played by Helen Mirren) reminiscing about her life, an elderly man (played by Morgan Freeman) receiving the chance to regain his lost memories, and others.
Why it is a great show for Black Mirror fans: If you need a break from the dismal existential dread of Black Mirror and some of the other shows above, Solos — creator David Weil’s star-studded Amazon original miniseries — offers a, somewhat, more hopeful look at the future.
If you call yourself a fan of Charlie Brooker’s groundbreaking series — even if you do not love all of Black Mirror’s seasons so far — and you don't like any of these shows, maybe you should check to make sure nothing otherworldly is controlling you.
