Black Mirror: Season 1

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 4 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 528 Ratings

See All

8.6

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

8.6	Your Score
8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 528 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Black Mirror

Now Playing: Black Mirror

Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: December 4, 2011

Summary: Originally aired in the UK in 2011 and a winner of an International Emmy in 2012 for Best TV Mini-Series, the drama's anthology-styled episodes explore the dark side of modern technology.

Creator: Charlie Brooker

Genre(s): Drama, Horror, Suspense, Science Fiction, Tech & Gaming

Season 1 Episodes

8.1
S1:E3. The Entire History Of You
Air Date: December 18, 2011
9.1
S1:E2. 15 Million Merits
Air Date: December 11, 2011
8.6
S1:E1. The National Anthem
Air Date: December 4, 2011

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Melissa Maerz

Nov 26, 2013

Every so often a British drama comes along that's so brilliant, you must ride a TARDIS to London just to watch. The cult-favorite sci-fi series Black Mirror is one of those shows. Read full review

100

Emily VanDerWerff

Nov 26, 2013

The obvious comparison point is The Twilight Zone; that Black Mirror is a worthy successor is the highest praise that can be paid. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Nov 26, 2013

Smartly written and well cast, the individual episodes keep circling back to such apprehensions, with darkly satiric overtones that distinguish it from most of what’s currently on U.S. TV. Read full review

Lili Loofbourow

Jun 16, 2023

The new season (critics got all five episodes) is responsive to the moment, but it pivots in ways that challenge some core features of the series as we’ve known it. It’s lighter, for one thing, and more than a little tongue-in-cheek. Read full review

User Score

Write a Review

8.6

User Reviews

bmsamani

May 26, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have never appreciated sci fi until I watched this show. It dives into how humans would genuinely react to the inventions created by the writers, it doesn't just brush over it. It also gets at a thousand different issues; each episode is worthy of hours and hours of discussion about the themes it portrayed. For example, in episode one it gets at the impersonal nature of technology. The people watched the broadcast with minimal guilt because they felt removed from the situation, and they felt anonymous. It also got at the many faults of the media and the restraints of the entire industry. The one thing that this show is not is shallow. The themes it portrays aren't always obvious and apparent, and some people confuse that with lack-of-depth. That is another thing that is amazing about this show. It does not throw an opinion or a stance in your face, it shows you potential real life consequences and lets you create your own opinion having seen the scenario play out.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

reviewfrom19842

Dec 6, 2016

An amazing season to an amazing show I would recommend this show best show I have ever seen.

Best Episode: The National Anthem
Worst Episode: Fifteen Million Merits

The National Anthem 10/10
Fifteen Million Merits 9/10
The Entire History of You 10/10

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

brentwshelton1

Dec 30, 2014

This is truly an amazing show. At this point I have watched the first three episodes and have been brought to tears by each one. The issues that the show grapples with and illuminates in each episode are timely and significant. To say that this show deals with the dark side of technologyThis is truly an amazing show. At this point I have watched the first three episodes and have been brought to tears by each one. The issues that the show grapples with and illuminates in each episode are timely and significant. To say that this show deals with the dark side of technology and human nature is to make to simple of a comparison. I see the humanity of the characters and the dilemmas they are caught in clearly. Great writing, Great Acting, Great Series. Treat yourself and watch this. I really hope there are more seasons to come.… Expand

8 of 11 users found this helpful83

ErikTheCritic

Oct 14, 2018

With realistic social commentary dealing with the dark side of technology, this show has some of the best storytelling ever put on TV.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Felindie

Jul 15, 2019

The first episode is as disturbing as entertained, the second one is just good and the third one is a personal favorite.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

leaveit

Dec 18, 2014

Nice production, problematic writing. The first episode, National Anthem, is unbelievable to the point of absurdity. Not only would it be impossible for one man to kidnap a royal family member, but even if he did, the administration would never give in to demands. Placing so much screen timeNice production, problematic writing. The first episode, National Anthem, is unbelievable to the point of absurdity. Not only would it be impossible for one man to kidnap a royal family member, but even if he did, the administration would never give in to demands. Placing so much screen time on this supposed dilemma just goes to lengthen our outrage. In the second episode, 15 Million Merits, we are presented with a world that crosses Brave New World and Network without adding anything more than a snide implication about fat shaming. Much like in the first episode, social commentary is kept to the epilogue while the majority of the screen time is given to the implausible scenario (in this case, that an economy could be run through an inefficient power source like human metabolism). When the punchline arrives - that even if someone does make a stand and criticizes our soulless society, it is quickly monetized and interpreted as art rather than a call to arms - it lacks the punch that it did in Network, especially when the effect on the lead character's psyche is not examined. The third episode, the Entire History of You, could practically be fan fiction in a Dan Simmons universe, playing his "Flashback" concept straight. The production values are strong in this series, and the acting is quite good, but while the writing compels, it never quite reaches a level of respectability worthy of remembrance among actual sci-fi or satire fans. The Twilight Zone, a series that this one is often compared to, had its fair share of unmemorable episodes also, and didn't really do that much for television, yet is remembered because of unmistakable vignettes included in its episodes: a man's panic at seeing a monster outside the airplane window, or a dreamlike rendition of an astronaut's solitude. It is these things that made the Twilight Zone remarkable, and while some imagination goes into the filming and conception of the stories told herein, sadly, it is more of a reflection of our society than an original work of it.… Expand

5 of 9 users found this helpful54

sigfriend

Aug 22, 2018

I cannot get through the first episode! It is so ridiculous! Unbelievable! Absurd! Vulgar to the point of unbelievability! I seriously doubt the intelligence of those that find this engaging! Western civilization is in serious danger!

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

SEE ALL 58 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

74

Series Overview
Season 7

75
- Season 7 Overview
  Air Date: April 10, 2025
Season 6

68
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: June 15, 2023
Season 5

66
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: June 5, 2019
Season 4

72
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: December 29, 2017
Season 3

82
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: October 21, 2016
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: February 11, 2013
Season 1

89
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: December 4, 2011
- 8.1
  S1:E3. The Entire History Of You
  Air Date: December 18, 2011
- 9.1
  S1:E2. 15 Million Merits
  Air Date: December 11, 2011
- 8.6
  S1:E1. The National Anthem
  Air Date: December 4, 2011