Cliff Notes – All 27 Black Mirror episodes ranked from best to worst
- Season 7 of Black Mirror premieres on April 10, featuring new episodes that explore themes of AI and sentient technology.
- Metro has compiled a definitive ranking of all 27 episodes, highlighting fan favourites and critically acclaimed entries.
- The top-ranked episode, “San Junipero,” is celebrated for its poignant portrayal of queer romance and emotional depth, while “Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too” ranks last due to its lower audience reception.
All 27 Black Mirror episodes ranked from best to worst
Black Mirror is back with season seven right around the corner.
New episodes of the hit Charlie Brooker sci-fi dystopian anthology arrive on Netflix on April 10, with the latest trailer teasing AI nightmares and sentient video game characters.
With new doses of tech terror on the horizon, fans have been asking themselves the most important question of all: what is the correct ranking of the episodes?
There have been 27 episodes in all in Brooker’s technological nightmare show, not including the interactive film Bandersnatch, and everybody has their favourites.
But we here at Metro needed to find out what the absolute greatest Black Mirror episode ever was, so we decided to put together our official ranking of each and every offering in the life-ruining series.
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So here we have it, a definitive* ranking of all of the series – find out where your favourite episodes place below.
*Yes, definitive. All complaints can be filed in the comments section.
Major spoilers ahead…
27. Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too
We know, we know. Ashley Too is an icon, and On A Roll is a bop, but this episode officially ranks last on IMDB’s ratings of the series, so into last place it falls.
The season 5, episode 3 instalment sees Miley Cyrus appear as sickly sweet pop star Ashley O, although her existence isn’t quite as rosy as it may seem.
Her deep, dark secrets come to life as her life collides with teenager Rachel (Angourie Rice), as the youngster grieves her mother’s death while befriending an AI version of her pop idol, Ashley Too.
When the real Ashley slips into a coma, the dark truth behind Ashley Too’s consciousness and existence comes to life and leads to devastating consequences.
With the current rise of AI, this episode feels more apt than ever and maybe came out a little before its time to be loved by audiences.
However, it did give us some bizarre reimaginings of some Nine Inch Nails songs – so there’s that.
26. The Waldo Moment
Series 2, episode 3, offering The Waldo Moment, also came in low in our rankings.
This episode follows a failed comedian voicing a blue cartoon bear who runs for MP, only for it to end up becoming the face of a totalitarian authority in the future—a future that pops up during the end credits and makes no sense.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, half of our reporters returned this in dead last, with one saying: ‘This episode didn’t even need to be made.’
Sure, that might be harsh, but even Brooker admits he didn’t ‘nail’ this one, so we stand by our decision. Skip this ep in your Netflix binges and it doesn’t exist.
25. Joan Is Awful
The first season 7 episode on the list is Joan Is Awful, which pokes fun at Netflix itself.
Opening the series, it focuses on Joan (Annie Murphy), an average woman who discovers her every move, no matter how incriminating or embarrassing, is being turned into a TV series starring Salma Hayek.
It’s an interesting exploration of reality and our relationship with streaming services, celebrities, and cancel culture, but its twist is somewhat predictable and self-referential gags bordering on cringe-inducing.
24. Beyond The Sea
Despite really pulling at our heartstrings, Beyond The Sea is pretty forgettable when you consider the other space exploration-inspired episode (more on that later).
Taking bizarre inspiration from the Manson Family, Brooker’s sixth series episode is set in a retrofuturistic 1969 and follows astronauts Cliff (Aaron Paul) and David (Josh Hartnett).
They can transfer their consciousnesses to replicas of their bodies on Earth when not needed on the ship, but when a terrible tragedy occurs back home, the astronauts are forced to grapple with grief, obsession, and betrayal.
23. Metalhead
This offering from the fourth series is undoubtedly beautiful due to its black-and-white cinematography, but the story falls short.
The post-apocalyptic plot centres on Bella, who attempts to outrun robotic guards known as ‘dogs’ that send trackers piercing through their targets’ skin.
While we all love Maxine Peake, this episode was a bit underwhelming—there was no real character development, and its lack of backstory or creepy lesson made it feel… well, not very Black Mirror.
22. Demon 79
Demon 79 is unique in the Black Mirror universe in that it’s the first that doesn’t deal with a technological horror, and instead delves into the supernatural.
While maybe not perfect for the average Black Mirror viewer, it’s certainly an interesting direction for the series to travel in, and its exploration of societal pressures and racism is as horrifying as any other episode.
The season 6 instalment follows sales assistant Nida (Anjana Vasan), who accidentally unleashes the demon Gaap (Paapa Essiedu) and must kill three people in three days to prevent the apocalypse.
21. Striking Vipers
The 2019 offering follows two estranged college friends who reunite in later life over a virtual reality game, triggering a series of events that change the course of their lives.
It’s an episode that very much felt like a scaled-back version of another iconic Black Mirror plot that addresses queer relationships in a virtual field—we will, of course, get to that soon—but it did raise interesting questions about infidelity and online relationships in a modern environment that helped elevate it ever so slightly.
20. Loch Henry
One for the true crime fans, Loch Henry kicks off our top 20 after captivating viewers as it explores our obsession with true crime in uncomfortable detail.
The season 6 episode focuses on Davis (Samuel Blenkin) and Pia (Myha’la Herrold) as they make a true crime documentary in Davis’s run-down hometown in Scotland.
They explore the story of Iain Adair (Tom Crowhurst), a convicted serial killer from the town who killed Davis’s father, Kenneth (Gregor Firth), during his arrest, but as the duo digs deeper, they uncover some horrifying home truths.
19. Mazey Day
Following in the footsteps of From Dusk Till Dawn, Mazey Day switches genres so violently that it completely threw a lot of viewers, in a good way, of course.
It tells the story of Mazey Day (Clara Rugaard), an actress hiding from the media after a car accident.
Paparazzi Bo (Zazie Beetz) invades Mazey’s privacy to capture much-sought-after shots of the actor, but soon gets more than he bargained for when he discovers there’s more to Mazey than it seems.
18. Smithereens
Completing the season 5 rankings, episode 2, Smithereens, comes in 18th place in our round-up.
The story follows an hours-long standoff between the police and a kidnapper, played expertly by Andrew Scott, who doesn’t want money or to harm his victim.
It’s a nail-biting episode that will have you questioning what our mystery rideshare driver’s intentions really are, though the final payoff isn’t quite as dramatic as one might expect.
17. Playtest
A divisive one, this. Some people from the office ranked it dead bottom, while others placed it surprisingly high.
But all can agree that the ending is a bit too confusing to give it a high score in the end.
The story, about an immersive video game that shows players their most terrifying fears, is a strong plot, but the character actually dying four seconds into the playtest and the whole episode being in his head was a bit too ‘Dallas, it was all a dream’ for us.
16. Men Against Fire
This series 3 episode was gritty and visceral—it basically had all of the makings to hit the top 10.
But the big plot twist—that the monster-like ‘roaches’ are actually normal humans, and Stripe’s implant made him see them as zombies—was just a bit too expected.
Next!
15. Crocodile
Now, some of us actually really liked Crocodile, but it was overwhelmingly voted down.
The story of a machine that can recall people’s memories, Crocodile was one of the bloodiest and most uncomfortable episodes to date, somewhat like a less successful Shut Up And Dance.
Perhaps the final twist—that the guinea pig that witnessed the child’s murder could have its memories read, thus catching out killer Mia—was just a bit too ridiculous for some tastes.
14. Arkangel
This Jodie Foster-directed episode was a cool indie departure from Black Mirror’s usual style, but the open ending wasn’t very satisfying.
Then there was the fact that the mum watching her daughter have sex was deeply cringeworthy (and expected—what did she think was going to happen by watching it?), and the glaring error that suggested using emergency contraception could abort a baby.
Must do better.
13. 15 Million Merits
Much of our office had to be reminded of episode 2 of series 1, and while nobody disliked it per se, nobody was screaming from the rooftops about their love for it.
The twist on talent shows has been done so much before that the suggestion of exploitation isn’t all that new.
But it’s visually gorgeous and gave us Irma Thomas’s Anyone Who Knows What Love Is song that goes through the entire Black Mirror universe, so not a total loss.
12. Nosedive
Nosedive is pretty great. But its middling ranking is because many of us tune into Black Mirror for utter devastation, and this was just too fun.
Bryce Dallas Howard as a reputation-obsessed wannabe social media queen was wickedly funny, and the app on which you rate people like Uber in the episode is probably the most likely to exist out of all the Black Mirror inventions.
But did we leave the episode emotionally scarred? No, and that is not good enough. Soz, Bryce.
11. Black Museum
The final episode of series 4, Black Museum, seems like a bit of a farewell to Black Mirror, which would be a very sad thing.
But this ode to the series is clever, dark, and manages to pack a whole lot into an hour.
It’s not the strongest compendium episode, though, so it loses marks.
10. USS Callisterx)
Into the top 10 we go.
Props to Black Mirror for managing to get us thinking this was an episode actually set in space.
The concept of USS Callister is clever, the visuals are great, and anything with Michaela Coel in it gets a thumbs up from us.
Its slightly ambiguous ending leaves us wanting more, though.
9. White Christmas
The better of the two compendiums, in Metro‘s humble opinion.
With all the Christmas cheer of an Eastenders festive special, White Christmas manages to entertain and also horrify, particularly with the idea that people could be made to experience five minutes as 30 years as a form of punishment.
Plus, Jon Hamm. Who could want more?
8. Be Right Back
Starring Domhnall Gleeson before he really made it big, Be Right Back is probably the saddest of Black Mirror’s offerings.
While technology is at the heart of it, with Domhnall’s character being brought back to his girlfriend via a weird replica after his death, Be Right Back deals with loss and love sensitively, and even without the dystopian aspect, it would still tug at the heartstrings.
7. Hated In The Nation
Another crowd-splitter, this. Hated In The Nation received a lot of high ratings, but also very low ones, completely skewing its place. Sorry about that.
There’s a lot to love about it—notably, the parable on why you shouldn’t tell somebody to die on X, lest you be murdered by a hijacked bee, may be slightly overblown.
But Kelly Macdonald and Faye Marsay are excellent, and there are so many twists and turns that it feels almost cinematic.
6. Hang The DJ
Some criminally low ratings have given Hang The DJ an unfairly low ranking, for which I can only apologise.
The most successful episode of season 4 by far, this look at love on dating apps may concern a computer simulation, but is one of the most relatable Black Mirrors there is.
Anyone who has used dating apps like Tinder, OK Cupid or Bumble will see a bit of themselves in Frank (Joe Cole) and Amy’s (Georgina Campbell) attempt to find love. And the sweet payoff at the end of the episode is definitely bound to warm your cockles.
5. Shut Up And Dance
Shut Up And Dance is almost a painful watch as it’s so bleak, but that’s why we love it so much.
The uber-grim episode sees teenager Kenny being blackmailed after being watched masturbating through his laptop camera.
That is tense enough, but the ending, where we discover that Kenny’s (Alex Lawther) crime was not what we thought, is a punch in the gut.
Black Mirror’s stomach-churning horror at its best.
4. The National Anthem
The episode that started it all, and that had us all thinking Brooker was a legit mind reader.
In The National Anthem, Rory Kinnear plays the Prime Minister, who has been threatened by a blackmailer that he will murder the princess if he doesn’t have sex with a pig on live television.
The plot seems ludicrous—and it is—but it’s actually a rather grim look at the humiliation we will watch on television and how oblivious we are to things happening around us.
This one was made infamous, though, when allegations regarding David Cameron and a pig’s head circulated. Brooker maintains he did not know about it.
3. The Entire History Of You
This episode was so popular that the idea was snapped up by Robert Downey Jr for a big-screen adaptation, which still, unfortunately, hasn’t made it past the initial planning stages.
The story teams a device which allows you to re-watch your memories (which, let’s face it, will probably become a thing) with real human emotions of jealousy and obsession, resulting in a classic tale of infidelity and betrayal.
Plus, it has former Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker in it—always a bonus.
2. White Bear
Our runner-up is White Bear, the episode which reflects the worst of our society, because let’s face it, we’d all do the same as the bystanders.
The episode sees a woman (Lenora Crichlow) being chased and terrorised through a forest until we eventually discover that she’s being forced to forget who she is, a child killer, every day and relive torture and misery over and over again.
It’s a chilling twist that takes you by surprise and leaves you reflecting on how we react to villains.
The episode is so beloved that Victoria Skillane pops up across the universe in other instalments.
1. San Junipero
Well, what else could it be, really?
San Junipero, from season 3, won an Emmy for Charlie Brooker and has received the highest critical acclaim of any Black Mirror episode—and now, it’s the Metro number one, which is obviously the best accolade.
The love story between Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis)–two women who, we discover, have had their souls uploaded to a sort of alternate reality as a precursor to death–is one of the best representations of queer romance on television in years, and doesn’t use their sexuality as a gimmick.
And when you find out that Yorkie is living her true self while in a hospital bed with locked-in syndrome, we defy any of you not to cry.
Throw in one of the best soundtracks ever–Heaven Is A Place On Earth will never sound the same again–and you have a masterpiece.
Take a bow, Brooker.
And last but not least, an honourable mention…
If we’re talking about Black Mirror, we can’t leave out the hit 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch which put audiences in the centre of their own episode.
The spin-off film allowed Netflix users to decide the actions of the film’s protagonist, programmer Stefan Butler (Fionn Whitehead), as the narrative unfolds, creating a completely unique experience with each click.
The nature of its interactivity was not confirmed ahead of its release, making Bandersnatch quite the spectacle when it finally dropped on the streaming giant.
What’s more, it featured an engaging, though at times fairly confusing, storyline that played out just like the game it centred around, fully immersing viewers in the world of Black Mirror without any terrifying real-world consequences.
All six series of Black Mirror are available to stream on Netflix. Season 7 lands on the streaming service on April 10.
A version of this article was first published on June 14, 2023.
