Black Mirror started its life as a niche science fiction anthology show on Netflix, but the British series expanded its reach and popularity as the episodes started to blend into contemporary world issues more and more. It’s no secret that the world we live in keeps getting scarier, whether that be due to the upheaval in politics or the uncertainty of artificial intelligence and climate change altering our world forever. Good TV’s ability to mirror real life makes it culturally relevant, and it leaves fans craving even more of it.
With fans waiting patiently to find out if Black Mirror season 8 will be greenlit at Netflix, there are several alternatives that you can check out after finishing season 7. Not all of these series are as daring about social issues or crafted in the same way as Black Mirror, but all of them have the same sci-fi principles that make the storytelling unique. These are the best shows like Black Mirror to stream next.
The Twilight Zone (1959)
The Twilight Zone is the old school combination of science-fiction and drama that so many shows on this list like to emulate, but hardly any have ever captured every element. Rod Serling is able to defy the odds to craft a timeless classic that speculates not only about the major societal issues of the mid-20th century, but also predicts and dissects the trauma and mystery of being human today. Episodes would focus on topics like human resurrection, technology that reads the future, nuclear war, and post-apocalyptic scenarios. Much like in Black Mirror, most episodes of The Twilight Zone had a lot to say about the mistakes of humanity and the consequences of immorality.
Severance (2022)
The X-Files (1993)
The scope of The X-Files is grand and bold. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson play a pair of investigators who grapple with aliens, paranormal activity, and other strange happenings in the universe as each episode plays a part in painting a wider picture of the series’ sci-fi themes. It manages to feel fresh and creative even through over 200 episodes of storylines that aired over a decade-plus on FOX. In many ways, this series is still one of the prime examples and trailblazers in the science fiction genre.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
Alfred Hitchcock is mostly known for his transcedent horror movies, but this anthology series is ripe with the same types of stories. Each episode focuses on a new set of characters and a plot line that makes audiences think about the universe differently than they’re used to. Crime, mystery, and science fiction all combine to make this one a great example of what a series like Black Mirror would have looked like in the 1950s.
Love, Death & Robots (2019)
Love, Death & Robots is an ambitious project that has evolved into one of Netflix’s most popular animated series of all time. Told in the classic anthology format, the episodes connect through the repeated use of speculative fiction, artificial intelligence, robots, non-human intelligent life, and how these other beings are closer to us than we may think. The animation styles are fantastic, and the plots that follow them are smart and contemporary.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)
Cabinet of Curiosities doesn’t just have Guillermo del Toro’s name attached to get people to watch the series. This spooky anthology is filled with tons of themes from del Toro’s best films and received plenty of insight from the Oscar-winning actor himself. The episodes feature big actors like Rupert Grint, Andrew Lincoln, and F. Murray Abraham as the plots surround typical horror fare like rats, graveyards, monsters, and more. This was an ambitious Netflix project that we want to see a second season of this Halloween.
Fear Itself (2008)
Fear Itself leans into the scarier side of science fiction with episodes that deal with serial killers, people swapping bodies with bad people, and others confronting the darkest parts of themselves. The show didn’t even get to finish its first season before being canceled, but this isn’t shocking since network TV has always been more worried about ratings than creativity. There are some awesome actors who weren’t very famous when this show first aired, but they got to introduce themselves to a bigger audience here, such as Academy Award darling Jesse Plemons.
