20 Shows Like ‘Black Mirror’ That’ll Definitely Mess with Your Head

Although it feels like I’ve lived through multiple episodes of Black Mirror (complete with robotic police dogs), it certainly hasn’t dampened my craving for twisted dystopian content.

Perhaps it’s the clever way the writers use sci-fi elements to explore themes like mortality and the downsides of social media, or maybe it’s because they continue to mess with our minds long after we’ve finished watching. Either way, very few things can keep us from binge-watching these futuristic shows. And while I’ve already binge-watched all of Black Mirror season six, platforms like Netflix and Prime Video boast plenty of similar options. Here, 20 shows like Black Mirror to get your fix of mind-bending twists, creepy robots and more.

• Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Gary Cole, Chris Parnell, Michael B. Jordan, Christine Adams
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 8.4/10

While Black Mirror focuses on social commentary and the negative effects of advanced technology, this NSFW series uses similar sci-fi elements to create unique and fascinating stories, ranging from shape-shifting soldiers to super-intelligent yogurt (yep, you heard me). Fun fact: Each episode is produced by a different animation studio, and genres span from comedy and fantasy to horror. It has won 13 Emmys and several critics have praised the show for its timely themes and diverse storylines.

• Cast: Melonie Diaz, Ross Partridge, James Van Der Beek, Mae Whitman, Rainn Wilson
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 88% | IMDb 6.1/10

Set in room 104 of an average, roadside motel, several stories unfold as each new visitor passes through. Though each episode is a different genre (from comedy to bone-chilling horror), they’re all equally bizarre and compelling. Spirituality, love and the blurred lines between fiction and reality are just a few topics you’ll see tackled in this high-concept series.

Creator Mark Duplass told TVLine, "I love the tonal roulette wheel of Room 104. It’s probably one of the only shows on TV where you don’t show up because you know what you’re going to get...you show up because you absolutely don’t know what’s going to happen."

• Cast: Tom Holland, Emmy Rossum, Amanda Seyfried, Sasha Lane, Emma Laird
• Rating: 16+
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 33% | IMDb 7.7/10

Meet Danny Sullivan, a young man who is arrested for a horrific crime. The series explores Sullivan’s life and backstory through in-depth interviews. Prepare for a mind-bending experience that begs the question: If he didn’t do it, who did? The series was met with negative reviews from critics, but Holland delivers a solid (and equally terrifying) performance as Danny. In fact, he earned a nomination for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series.

• Cast: Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Sydney Sweeney
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 92% | IMDb 8/10

The White Lotus follows a group of incredibly wealthy (and, well, problematic) guests at a luxury resort. How is it like Black Mirror, you ask? Each season tells a different story and features a new set of guests. Plus, it explores themes like power, wealth and greed—all of which relate to the human condition. While season one is centered around Hawaii, the second season takes place in Sicily. But just in case you need more incentive: The show has won 15 Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes.

• Cast: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Justin Theroux, Sonoya Mizuno
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 85% | IMDb 7.6/10

The entire premise sounds like it came straight out of a Black Mirror episode—except in this case, the focus is on mental illness. Annie, a woman with borderline personality disorder (Stone) and Owen (Hill), a man with schizophrenia, participate in a pharmaceutical trial that turns out to be way more than they signed up for. The show is loosely based on a Norwegian series and there's plenty of symbolism—especially relating to Don Quixote.

• Cast: Dylan O'Brien, Ed O'Neill, LeVar Burton, Rosario Dawson, Awkwafina
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 6/10

Welcome to the city of Weird, where the entire population is segregated into two groups: the Haves, and the Have nots. Each episode follows a new character as they navigate the ups and downs of living in the city—complete with very timely messages and commentary about the modern world. Created by Charlie Sanders and Jordan Peele, the series expertly blends satire with sci-fi elements and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

• Cast: Katherine Parkinson, Tim Key, Luke Pasqualino, Ophelia Lovibond, Anne Reid
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 100% | IMDb 8.5/10

If you’re up for a more lighthearted anthology series that’s not so heavy on the high-tech cautionary tales, Inside No. 9 is your best bet. The dark comedy follows a series of different characters who are somehow connected by the number nine. Each episode takes on different themes, but they all feature the same dry British humor I love in Black Mirror. (P.S., show creators Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have adapted the TV series into a West End stage play called Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright.)

• Cast: Rebecca Hall, Paul Schneider, Duncan Joiner, Daniel Zolghadri
• Rating: 18+
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 7.4/10

In Tales from the Loop, Mercer, Ohio, is more than just a quaint small town. Below the surface lies an underground physics lab called the “Loop,” where researchers explore all the mysteries that can’t be explained by science. Similar to Black Mirror, the show explores human connection and how it’s affected by technology. The series got nominated for two Emmys, including Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series.

• Cast: Natasha Lyonne, Greta Lee, Yul Vazquez, Charlie Barnett
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 97% | IMDb 7.7/10

Lyonne plays Nadia, a game developer who finds herself trapped in a mysterious loop when she dies after attending a party. As she relives the same day, she attempts to figure out a way to escape. But to her surprise, she isn’t the only one who’s stuck in a time loop. Season one of Russian Doll focuses on life and death while season two dives into the nature of time. Thanks to a stellar cast and superb storytelling, the show earned 14 Emmy Award nominations and won a total of three.

• Cast: Natalia Tena, Iwan Rheon, Jamie Draven, Danny Webb
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 56% | IMDb 5.3/10

Set in futuristic England, the show takes place in the aftermath of a deadly explosion that killed hundreds of people at a nightclub. In response, the government creates a quarantine zone without informing the public about what really happened. Meanwhile, a mysterious substance leaks into the quarantined area, driving people to do sinister things. Producer Charlotte Walls revealed in 2015 that a second season was in the works, but unfortunately, the British sci-fi series didn't return after season one.

• Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Adam Scott, John Cho, Allison Tolman
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 67% | IMDb 6/10

Jordan Peele teams up with Simon Kinberg for this modern-day remake of the classic, which, like Black Mirror, includes sci-fi elements and examines human morality. Get ready for chilling stories that tackle everything from immigration and racism to alien invasions. (Fun fact: The plot for Peele's film, Us, was inspired by one of his favorite Twilight Zone episodes, “Mirror Image.”)

• Cast: Louis Hofmann, Oliver Masucci, Julika Jenkins
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 95% | IMDb 8.7/10

Yes, at first glance it feels like a darker version of Stranger Things, but folks, it’s so much more. Set in the fictional German town of Winden, Dark follows four different families as they get sucked into a time travel conspiracy. It reveals the impact of time while also exploring topics like free will, love and human nature. Critics have raved about the series, thanks to the stunning visuals, solid performances and complex themes.

13. Alice in Borderland

• Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Yūki Morinaga
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 86% | IMDb 7.7/10

It stars Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya as allies trapped in an abandoned Tokyo. They're forced to compete in dangerous games, the type and difficulty represented by playing cards, to extend "visas" that, if expired, result in the player's execution by lasers being shot from the sky. Based on on Haro Aso's manga of the same name, the show's timely themes and dystopian setting will remind you of Black Mirror, but fans of movies like Battle Royale and Cube will also find familiarity in this Netflix series.

14. Oats Studio

• Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carly Pope, Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope
• Rating: TV-MA
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 51% | IMDb 6.3/10

Oats Studio is actually a collection of experimental short films that depict post-apocalyptic worlds, from bizarre alternate timelines and futuristic mining vessels to reptilian aliens colonizing earth. It blends a variety of genres, including sci-fi, comedy and dystopian horror. Sound familiar?

• Cast: Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Uzo Aduba, Anthony Mackie, Constance Wu, Dan Stevens
• Rating: 16+
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 44% | IMDb 6/10

This show packs a whole lot of star power—but that’s not all it has going for it. Like Black Mirror, the anthology series examines our relationships with each other and with technology. Join seven unique strangers as they discover how all humans are connected.

Series creator David Weil told Deadline, “Most of them are future tales—I like to call these future memories, tapestry of different collections of events in these individuals’ lives. Each story centers around one or two incredible actors and we get to really mine a beautiful or harrowing, terrifying or heartbreaking moment in their life.”

• Cast: Anthony Boyle, Tuppence Middleton, Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, Janelle Monáe
• Rating: 18+
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 72% | IMDb 7.2/10

Inspired by the works of sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, the ten-episode anthology series questions what it means to be human through standalone stories that take place up to 5,000 years in the future. Each episode explores a variety of themes, from parenting and relationships to consumerism and artificial intelligence. The series was nominated twice for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special.

• Cast: Lee Dong-hwi, Yoon Kyung-ho, Seo Hyun-woo
• Rating: 18+
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 75% | IMDb 6.3/10

Many would call this series the Korean version of Black Mirror, since it follows the same format and tackles so many of the same themes—like morality, the abuse of technology and artificial intelligence. Per IMDB, the series is based on multiple science fiction short stories, and eight filmmakers were involved in the project.

• Cast: Lauri Hendler, Wei-Yi Lin, Mardy Ma
• Rating: TV-14
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 5.6/10

If you have a short attention span and you'd like a quick binge that's equally terrifying and mind-bending, you'll enjoy Two Sentence Horror Stories. Each 20-minute episode offers a standalone plot where characters are forced to deal with nightmarish scenarios.

According to show creator Vera Miao, the series was inspired by a popular Reddit thread. She told Daily Dead, "Something about these stories felt very nostalgic to me, but that they were happening on this platform that only exists because of new technologies, so they’re still modern at the same time, too...The genius of these stories is that they give you so much in so little, so it’s like this adrenaline shot into your imagination. And that's really where it came from, for me."

• Cast: Emily Berrington, Ruth Bradley, Lucy Carless, Gemma Chan
• Rating: TV-14
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes 94% | IMDb 7.9/10

Based on the Swedish show Real Humans, this sci-fi series explores the many downsides of living in a world where human-like robots, known as "Synths," exist. Created by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, the show explores topics like the laws of robotics, artificial intelligence and human-robot interactions. In other words, words, it could be a Black Mirror episode.

• Cast: Richard Kiley, Shelley Duvall, Lucy Lawless, Peter O'Tool
• Rating: PG-13
• Reviews: Rotten Tomatoes (N/A) | IMDb 7.3/10

The iconic Ray Bradbury personally introduces each episode of this classic anthology series, which is based on his sci-fi novels and short stories. Even if you haven't read Bradbury's work, you'll appreciate the compelling storylines and, of course, the star-studded cast. Like Black Mirror, there are plenty of suspenseful and thought-provoking episodes. Among them are Leslie Nielsen, Shelley Duvall, Drew Barrymore and Jeff Goldblum.