If you miss Black Mirror, these X shows will ruin your brain just as well

Back in April 2025, the acclaimed Netflix show Black Mirror dropped its long-awaited seventh season, and the dystopian anthology series continued to resonate with a lot of its fans. What I've always appreciated about Black Mirror is how it perfectly captures the mood of the real world, even as its plotlines become increasingly bizarre. I guess you kind of have to embrace the fictional strange when real life events become increasingly outlandish.

While Black Mirror is great at creating sci-fi that makes you question your own reality, it's not the only show out there that can truly break your brain into a million pieces. So I've been revisiting (or discovering for the first time) shows that can really capture that Black Mirror feel until we get our next dose of reality-bending greatness.

Severance

Watch Severance on Apple TV+

When I first started watching Severance, it felt to me like an episode of Black Mirror that got its own spin-off series. It has that same inherent otherworldly strangeness built right into its DNA, while still somehow grounded in a quasi-reality. Its focus on a corporation that feels suspiciously like a cult really helps sell that point, and Severance brushes right up against the dystopian line that many Black Mirror episodes exist in.

And in case you've been living without a television or the internet for the last few years, Severance only continues to become more and more popular. There are only two seasons out right now, but this is the exact sort of show that will fill that Black Mirror-sized hole in your chest, at least for a little while.

The OA

Watch The OA on Netflix

Canceled all the way back in 2019, I still haven't forgiven Netflix for robbing us all of what could have been a phenomenal third season and beyond for The OA. A surreal mystery show centered on Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling), a woman who reappears after seven years missing, is a thing of visual beauty. I nearly included it on my list of canceled shows that are still worth watching, but the cliffhanger ending is so frustrating that I hesitated.

Still, if you're desperate for a show that brings equal parts weirdness and gorgeous moments of human drama, then you need to check The OA out. It may not be overly similar to Black Mirror, but it brings that same level of brain-busting brilliance to your eyes. Just don't expect a satisfying conclusion.

Love, Death & Robots

Watch Love, Death & Robots on Netflix

If it's the anthology part of Black Mirror that most appeals to you, then Love, Death & Robots may be that show to scratch the itch. It explores similar concepts to dystopian stories, but its animation lets it really go wild with its settings and how closely it sticks to reality. Plus, there isn't a creative force at the center, so the tone can vary depending on who is helming what episode.

I also think that because it lacks a creative leader like Charlie Brooker on Black Mirror, the quality can be very inconsistent. But when Love, Death & Robots hits, it hits extremely hard. Plus, the animation is always gorgeous to look at, if nothing else.

The Twilight Zone

Watch The Twilight Zone on Paramount+

I mean, you can't really talk about the best of anthology shows without bringing up The Twilight Zone, which is still kind of the gold standard. Black Mirror modernized it, for sure, but it only ran because The Twilight Zone walked first. Debuting in 1959, there are obviously elements of The Twilight Zone that are outdated, but even nowadays, the show is brimming with ideas that have inspired the horror and science fiction genres for decades.

I mean, even the term "twilight zone" has become something that means experiencing something surreal or strange, which is always a testament to enduring popularity. The remake, while intriguing, didn't manage to capture the same creative energy of the original. I recommend watching the original if you really want to fill that Black Mirror gap in your life.

Inside No. 9

Watch Inside No. 9 on Britbox

I guess we'll finish things off with the third anthology show in a row, but this one is distinctly British in the same way the older seasons of Black Mirror are. Like a lot of Black Mirror, Inside No. 9 has elements of horror and dystopian fiction built into its DNA. However, the latter is fundamentally a more comedic-based show, which isn't surprising given that it's helmed by comedians Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton.

So if you're looking for something serious, then Inside No. 9 might not be for you. But for the comedically inclined out there, this is a wickedly funny dark comedy anthology show that has just as much to say about modern society as Black Mirror.

Black Mirror is hard to match

While all of these shows will likely scratch some sort of itch related to Black Mirror, it is fundamentally a difficult show to compare to other fiction. Its own sense of style and commentary on the often-dark world we live in is unique in its own right. Still, these are great alternatives. Though if you're in the market for some cult classics that are somehow so bad they're good, then look no further.