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Each new season of Black Mirror sparks intense discussions among fans about the standout episodes. The acclaimed series has endeared itself to audiences, with three installments—”San Junipero” (2017), “USS Callister” (2018), and “Bandersnatch” (2019)—winning consecutive Emmy Awards for Best TV Movie. Yet, opinions vary widely on how every episode ranks overall. To find out which episodes are considered the best and worst, we examined the aggregate IMDb ratings across all seasons, revealing a comprehensive list of Black Mirror episodes. Can you guess which episode tops the list?
With the release of Season 7 in April 2025, the total count of episodes and specials reached 34. Created by Charlie Brooker, this thought-provoking anthology series originally aired on the U.K.’s Channel 4 in 2011 before gaining worldwide popularity on Netflix starting in 2016. The show faced a hiatus after its fifth season, partly due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, but this pause only allowed fans to revisit and appreciate their favorite episodes anew.
The latest set of six episodes in Season 7—including “Common People,” “Bête Noire,” “Hotel Reverie,” “Plaything,” “Eulogy,” and “USS Callister: Into Infinity”—invites comparison with earlier offerings. Below is a ranking of the Black Mirror episodes from least to most favored:
5.3/10 – ‘Mazey Day’
Season 6, Episode 4
Air date: June 15, 2023
Director: Uta Briesewitz
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Zazie Beetz, Clara Rugaard, Danny Ramirez
Plot: A troubled actress grapples with relentless paparazzi while facing the fallout from a hit-and-run incident.
6.1/10 – ‘Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too’
Season 5, Episode 3
Air date: June 5, 2019
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Miley Cyrus, Angourie Rice, Madison Davenport
Plot: A lonely teen longs for a connection with her idolized pop star, whose seemingly perfect life hides deeper issues.
6.6/10 – ‘The Waldo Moment’
Season 2, Episode 3
Air date: February 25, 2013
Director: Bryn Higgins
Writer: Charlie Brooker, Christopher Morris
Starring: Daniel Rigby, Chloe Pirrie, Jason Flemyng
Plot: A failed comedian voicing a cartoon bear is thrust into politics when executives decide to run the character for office.
6.6/10 – ‘Metalhead’
Season 4, Episode 5
Air date: December 29, 2017
Director: David Slade
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Maxine Peake, Jake Davies, Clint Dyer
Plot: In a post-apocalyptic world, a woman struggles to survive against mechanical “dogs” in the Scottish Moors.
6.7/10 – ‘Demon 79’
Season 6, Episode 5
Air date: June 15, 2023
Director: Toby Haynes
Writer: Charlie Brooker, Bisha K. Ali
Starring: Anjana Vasan, Paapa Essiedu, Katherine Rose Morley
Plot: In 1979 Northern England, a timid sales assistant is coerced into committing unspeakable acts to avert a catastrophe.
6.8/10 – ‘Striking Vipers’
Season 5, Episode 1
Air date: June 5, 2019
Director: Owen Harris
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie
Plot: Two former college friends reunite, leading to unforeseen changes in their lives.
6.9/10 – ‘Hotel Reverie’
Season 7, Episode 3
Air date: April 10, 2025
Director: Haolu Wang
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Issa Rae, Awkwafina, Emma Corrin, Harriet Walter, Enzo Cilenti
Plot: An actress finds herself in a mysterious alternate reality while filming a remake of a classic British film.
7.1/10 – ‘Bandersnatch’
Special (between Seasons 4 and 5)
Air date: December 28, 2018
Director: David Slade
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Craig Parkinson, Alice Lowe, Asim Chaudhry, Will Poulter
Plot: A young coder struggles to distinguish between reality and fantasy while adapting a novel into a video game.
7.2/10 – ‘Bête Noire’
Season 7, Episode 2
Air date: April 10, 2025
Director: Toby Haynes
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Siena Kelly, Rosy McEwen, Michael Workéyè
Plot: A talented confectioner grows uneasy when a former classmate joins her workplace, leading to unsettling revelations.
7.2/10 – ‘Plaything’
Season 7, Episode 4
Air date: April 10, 2025
Director: David Slade
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Lewis Gribben, Michele Austin
Plot: A quirky murder suspect ties back to an unusual 1990s video game featuring developing artificial lifeforms.
7.3/10 – ‘Arkangel’
Season 4, Episode 2
Air date: December 29, 2017
Director: Jodie Foster
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Rosemarie DeWitt, Brenna Harding
Plot: After a frightening incident, a mother uses innovative technology to keep track of her daughter’s safety.
7.3/10 – ‘Crocodile’
Season 4, Episode 3
Air date: December 29, 2017
Director: John Hillcoat
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Kiran Sonia Sawar
Plot: An investigation into a minor accident using memory-inducing technology spirals into darker revelations.
7.3/10 – ‘Loch Henry’
Season 6, Episode 2
Air date: June 15, 2023
Director: Sam Miller
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Samuel Blenkin, Myha’la Herrold
Plot: A couple filming a nature documentary discovers a disturbing local story tied to the town’s past.
7.4/10 – ‘Joan Is Awful’
Season 6, Episode 1
Air date: June 15, 2023
Director: Ally Pankiw
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek
Plot: A woman is taken aback when a streaming platform adapts her life into a drama featuring a famous actress.
7.4/10 – ‘Beyond the Sea’
Season 6, Episode 3
Air date: June 15, 2023
Director: John Crowley
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Aaron Paul, Josh Hartnett
Plot: Two men on a high-stakes mission in an alternate 1969 face the repercussions of a horrific event.
7.5/10 – ‘Men Against Fire’
Season 3, Episode 5
Air date: October 21, 2016
Director: Jakob Verbruggen
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Malachi Kirby, Madeline Brewer
Plot: Soldiers must guard villagers against a deadly mutant creature invasion.
7.5/10 – ‘Smithereens’
Season 5, Episode 2
Air date: June 5, 2019
Director: James Hawes
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Andrew Scott, Damson Idris
Plot: A cab driver with hidden motives becomes the focal point of a chaotic day.
7.6/10 – ‘The National Anthem’
Season 1, Episode 1
Air date: December 4, 2011
Director: Otto Bathurst
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Rory Kinnear, Lindsay Duncan
Plot: The Prime Minister faces a shocking dilemma when a beloved royal is kidnapped.
7.9/10 – ‘Be Right Back’
Season 2, Episode 1
Air date: February 11, 2013
Director: Owen Harris
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Hayley Atwell, Domhnall Gleeson
Plot: A grieving woman discovers technology to communicate with her deceased partner.
8.0/10 – ‘Fifteen Million Merits’
Season 1, Episode 2
Air date: December 11, 2011
Director: Euros Lyn
Writers: Charlie Brooker, Konnie Huq
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Jessica Brown Findlay
Plot: In a society where exercise bikes determine social status, Bing attempts to help a woman achieve fame.
8.0/10 – ‘White Bear’
Season 2, Episode 2
Air date: February 18, 2013
Director: Carl Tibbetts
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Lenora Crichlow, Michael Smiley
Plot: A woman regains consciousness with no memory of her life, while strangers seem to be watching her.
8.0/10 – ‘Playtest’
Season 3, Episode 2
Air date: October 21, 2016
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen
Plot: A traveler volunteers to try an innovative game system, soon losing grip on reality.
8.1/10 – ‘Common People’
Season 7, Episode 1
Air date: April 10, 2025
Director: Ally Pankiw
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd
Plot: As a schoolteacher faces a medical crisis, her husband enrolls her in a life-saving technology.
8.2/10 – ‘Eulogy’
Season 7, Episode 5
Air date: April 10, 2025
Directors: Chris Barrett & Luke Taylor
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Patsy Ferran
Plot: A man discovers an emotional connection through a system allowing him to explore significant photographs.
8.3/10 – ‘Nosedive’
Season 3, Episode 1
Air date: October 21, 2016
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Rashida Jones, Michael Schur, Charlie Brooker
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Alice Eve
Plot: A woman’s efforts to enhance her social media standing lead to unintended complications.
8.3/10 – ‘USS Callister’
Season 4, Episode 1
Air date: December 29, 2017
Director: Toby Haynes
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Jesse Plemons, Cristin Milioti
Plot: The captain of a spaceship runs a tight ship, but a new member discovers dark secrets aboard.
8.3/10 – ‘USS Callister: Into Infinity’
Season 7, Episode 6
Air date: April 10, 2025
Director: Toby Haynes
Writers: Charlie Brooker, Bisha K. Ali, William Bridges
Starring: Cristin Milioti, Jimmi Simpson
Plot: Following Robert Daly’s death, his former crew must navigate an endless virtual world under perilous conditions.
8.4/10 – ‘Shut Up and Dance’
Season 3, Episode 3
Air date: October 21, 2016
Director: James Watkins
Writer: William Bridges, Charlie Brooker
Starring: Alex Lawther, Jerome Flynn
Plot: A young man caught in an online blackmail scheme teams up with a shady figure to survive.
8.4/10 – ‘Hated in the Nation’
Season 3, Episode 6
Air date: October 21, 2016
Director: James Hawes
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Faye Marsay
Plot: Detective Karin Parke investigates mysterious deaths tied to social media’s dark side.
8.5/10 – ‘The Entire History of You’
Season 1, Episode 3
Air date: December 18, 2011
Director: Brian Welsh
Writers: Jesse Armstrong, Charlie Brooker
Starring: Toby Kebbell, Jodie Whittaker
Plot: A memory implant allows individuals to replay their past, but it raises questions about the value of forgetfulness.
8.5/10 – ‘San Junipero’
Season 3, Episode 4
Air date: October 21, 2016
Director: Owen Harris
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mackenzie Davis
Plot: In the vibrant world of San Junipero, two women find love amidst life-altering revelations.
8.6/10 – ‘Black Museum’
Season 4, Episode 6
Air date: December 29, 2017
Director: Colm McCarthy
Writers: Charlie Brooker, Penn Jillette
Starring: Douglas Hodge, Letitia Wright
Plot: A visitor to a sinister museum learns harrowing tales associated with its strange artifacts.
8.7/10 – ‘Hang the DJ’
Season 4, Episode 4
Air date: December 29, 2017
Director: Timothy Van Patten
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Georgina Campbell, Joe Cole
Plot: Two individuals challenge a dating system that assigns expiration dates to relationships.
9.1/10 – ‘White Christmas’
Special (between Seasons 2 and 3)
Air date: December 16, 2014
Director: Carl Tibbetts
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Starring: Jon Hamm, Rafe Spall
Plot: Interwoven narratives of technology-induced nightmares unfold as two men share stories in a remote outpost during Christmas.
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