History Series / BlackMirror

Since its premiere on December 4, 2011, ''Black Mirror'' currently consists of 22 episodes across five series and one special, in addition to the interactive film ''Bandersnatch'', released at the end of 2018. The first two series and the special were all aired on Creator/Channel4 between 2011 and 2014 before the show moved to Creator/{{Netflix}}, where it remains to this day. The most recent series was released on June 5, 2019, and while Brooker was initially unsure about the future of the show following this, [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/black-mirror-season-6-netflix-1235266891 a sixth series was announced]] in May 2022, with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7uFcpF0pXk Neflix announcing that it would drop some time in June]].

'''Trailers''': [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0TmXRrDpP8 Series 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5AKVtvkdc Series 2]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3RHYNZplWg the Christmas Special]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiYGjp5iFg Series 3]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ELQ6u_5YYM Series 4]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVik34nWws Series 5]].

Since its premiere on December 4, 2011, ''Black Mirror'' currently consists of 22 episodes across five series and one special, in addition to the interactive film ''Bandersnatch'', released at the end of 2018. The first two series and the special were all aired on Creator/Channel4 between 2011 and 2014 before the show moved to Creator/{{Netflix}}, where it remains to this day. The most recent series was released on June 5, 2019, and while Brooker was initially unsure about the future of the show following this, [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/black-mirror-season-6-netflix-1235266891 a sixth series was announced]] in May 2022 to be released sometime in 2023.

Look at you. [[NewMediaAreEvil Glued to your chair, eyeballs helplessly fixated on your intoxicating, mesmerizing computer screen]], the [[TitleDrop black mirror]] through which you view the world around you. You've spent countless hours assigning meaningless labels to places that aren't real and people you will never meet, and for what? Perhaps you'd be better off categorizing the tropes of your own life.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Before technology became ''the'' central theme of the series, rather than "just" an important motif. The first two episodes, by contrast, featured dystopian scenarios where technology was an important element, but certainly not the central focus. The first season finale, "The Entire History of You," was the first story where technology actually had a central role, and the second season cemented and codified the "horror stories about technology" theme that has continued ever since.

* ItMakesSenseInContext: There are a few moments per episode in Series Four that, taken out of context, don't make sense, like:
-->'''[[Recap/BlackMirrorUSSCallister USS Callister]]:''' "Stealing my pussy is a red fucking line."
-->'''[[Recap/BlackMirrorArkAngel ArkAngel]]:''' [Sara beats her mom's face with a tablet, can't see her mom's face]
-->'''[[Recap/BlackMirrorCrocodile Black Museum]]:''' "Listen you fucking bitch," [monkey toy doesn't react]
-->'''[[Recap/BlackMirrorStrikingVipers Striking Vipers]]:''' "I fucked a polar bear and I still couldn't get you out of my mind."

Since its premiere on December 4, 2011, ''Black Mirror'' currently consists of 22 episodes across five series and one special, in addition to an interactive film titled ''Bandersnatch'' and released at the end of 2018. The first two series and the special were all aired on Creator/Channel4 between 2011 and 2014 before the show moved to Creator/{{Netflix}}, where it remains to this day. The most recent series was released on June 5, 2019, and while Brooker was initially unsure about the future of the show following this, [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/black-mirror-season-6-netflix-1235266891 a sixth series was announced]] in May 2022 to be released sometime in 2023.

''Black Mirror'' is a UK [[SciFiHorror science fiction-horror]] [[GenreAnthology anthology]] series produced (and primarily written) by ''Series/DeadSet'' creator Creator/CharlieBrooker. The series is inspired by ''Series/{{The Twilight Zone|1959}}'' and [[MeaningfulName is named for]] the reflection visible in a blackened digital screen. The episodes [[ThematicSeries all]] explore techno-paranoia and general unease with the world. They are usually set in an alternative present or the near future and often have dark and satirical tones, although some are more experimental and even lighter.

The first series premiered on December 4, 2011, and ended up winning the International Emmy for best TV movie or miniseries. The second series started on February 11, 2013. There has also been a ChristmasSpecial, released in the UK on December 16, 2014. Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the third and fourth series, which were released on October 21st, 2016 and December 29th, 2017, respectively. A film, ''Bandersnatch'', was released on December 28, 2018. The fifth series was released on June 5th 2019, and while Brooker was initially unsure about the future of the show following this, a sixth series was [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/black-mirror-season-6-netflix-1235266891/ announced]] in May 2022 to be released sometime in 2023.

Here are the trailers for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0TmXRrDpP8 Series 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5AKVtvkdc Series 2]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3RHYNZplWg the Christmas Special]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiYGjp5iFg Series 3]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ELQ6u_5YYM Series 4]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVik34nWws Series 5]].

A literary series of original ''Black Mirror'' stories edited by Brooker was planned, but was postponed indefinitely in 2018 due to his lack of time to work on them. ''Black Mirror Labyrinth'', a walkthrough maze at Thorpe Park Resort, opened in May 2021, having been delayed from 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first series premiered on December 4, 2011, and ended up winning the International Emmy for best TV movie or miniseries. The second series started on February 11, 2013. There has also been a ChristmasSpecial, released in the UK on December 16, 2014. Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the third and fourth series, which were released on October 21st, 2016 and December 29th, 2017, respectively. A film, ''Bandersnatch'', was released on December 28, 2018. The fifth series was released on June 5th 2019, and while Brooker was initially unsure about the future of the show following this, a sixth series was [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/black-mirror-season-6-netflix-1235266891/ announced]] in May 2022.

** The venue Ashley plays in at the end of "Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too" is the same one she drove by at the beginning of the episode. [[spoiler: Jack, whose bass-playing skills were shown early on, also becomes Ashley’s bassist.]]

The first series premiered on December 4, 2011, and ended up winning the International Emmy for best TV movie or miniseries. The second series started on February 11, 2013. There has also been a ChristmasSpecial, released in the UK on December 16, 2014. Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the third and fourth series, which were released on October 21st, 2016 and December 29th, 2017, respectively. A film, ''Bandersnatch'', was released on December 28, 2018. The fifth series was released on June 5th 2019, and a sixth was [[https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/black-mirror-season-6-netflix-1235266891/ announced]] in May 2022.

The first series premiered on December 4, 2011, and ended up winning the International Emmy for best TV movie or miniseries. The second series started on February 11, 2013. There has also been a ChristmasSpecial, released in the UK on December 16, 2014. Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the third and fourth series, which were released on October 21st, 2016 and December 29th, 2017, respectively. A film, ''Bandersnatch'', was released on December 28, 2018. The fifth series was released on June 5th 2019; the show's future beyond that is currently unclear, as Brooker has said he feels viewers may not be in the mood for more and he has more comedic projects in the works.

Here are the trailers for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0TmXRrDpP8 Series 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke5AKVtvkdc Series 2]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3RHYNZplWg the Christmas Special]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDiYGjp5iFg Series 3]], and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ELQ6u_5YYM Series 4]].

As each episode is set in its own continuity, only recurring tropes can be found on this page. There's a '''[[Recap/BlackMirror Recap page]]''' for the episodes, please put episode-specific examples on the appropriate page. For more details on specific series, there is:
[[index]]
* BlackMirror/SeriesOne
* BlackMirror/SeriesTwo
* Recap/BlackMirrorWhiteChristmas
* BlackMirror/SeriesThree
* BlackMirror/SeriesFour
* ''Film/BlackMirrorBandersnatch''
* BlackMirror/SeriesFive
[[/index]]

Vote for the best episode [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/BestEpisode/BlackMirror here]].

* ThematicSeries: The episodes are stand-alone films with technology and society as central themes.

* AdultFear: Surprisingly prevalent. There are only a few episodes with more outlandish threats. Mostly, ''Black Mirror'' deals with things like the fear of losing a child or a spouse, the fear of heartbreak and infidelity, the fear of losing your social standing, etc. and how human reaction to these things is twisted by new technology.

* VigilanteInjustice:
** ''[[Recap/BlackMirrorWhiteBear White Bear]]'': In this story, a woman has lost her memory and is told that the world is brainwashed and she is being actively hunted. [[spoiler: The twist is that the woman is Victoria Skillane, who was arrested for recording the murder and torture of Jemima Sykes at the hands of Victoria's fiance, Iain Rannoch. Victoria is being repeatedly tortured in the White Bear Justice Park as visitors pay to watch her suffer. The episode is designed to question whether or not Victoria truly deserves this punishment and if the workers at the White Bear Justice Park are in the right to punish her so severely for what she did.]]
** ''[[Recap/BlackMirrorShutUpAndDance Shut Up and Dance]]'': In this story, Kenny has his computer hacked and the hackers record him masturbating. The hackers force Kenny to do all sorts of odd jobs under the threat of sending the video to all his contacts. [[spoiler: After robbing a bank, Kenny is forced to fight a man to the death and it's revealed that Kenny was actually masturbating to child pornography and everything he did was to protect himself from being exposed as a pedophile. After killing the man, Kenny's secret is exposed anyway and is arrested for possession of child pornography, robbery, and murder. After Kenny's secret is revealed, the episode asks whether or not the hackers are in the right to punish Kenny as they forced him to kill someone and rob a bank rather than submit the evidence to the police.]]

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: All over the place on the scale. Some episodes fall on the hard end of the scale due to dealing with technology that could potentially exist, albeit other episodes fall on the soft end due to ArtisticLicense (for instance, [[Recap/BlackMirrorUSSCallister USS Calister]], in which the DNA apparently also stores the memories and personality of the human being it belongs to).

[[DescribeTopicHere Look at you.]] [[NewMediaAreEvil Glued to your chair, eyeballs helplessly fixated on your intoxicating, mesmerizing computer screen]], the [[TitleDrop black mirror]] through which you view the world around you. [[TVTropesWillRuinYourLife You've spent countless hours assigning meaningless labels to places that aren't real and people you will never meet, and for what?]] [[SelfDemonstratingArticle Perhaps you'd be better off categorizing the tropes of your own life.]]

* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Possibly by complete accident, but one episode every series is named for a song (The National Anthem, White Bear, White Christmas, Shut Up and Dance, Hang the DJ).
* LuddWasRight: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. While the series shows several horrors achived through technology, the critic is often target at the people using it (see HumansAreFlawed above), not the technology itself.

The first series premiered on December 4, 2011, and ended up winning the International Emmy for best TV movie or miniseries. The second series started on February 11, 2013. There has also been a ChristmasSpecial, released in the UK on December 16, 2014. Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the third and fourth series, which were released on October 21st, 2016 and December 29th, 2017, respectively. A film, ''Bandersnatch'', was released on December 28, 2018. The fifth series was released on June 5th 2019; the show's future beyond that is currently unclear, as Brooker has said he feels viewers may not be in the mood for more and he has more comedic projects in the works. A literary series of original ''Black Mirror'' stories edited by Brooker was planned, but was postponed indefinitely in 2018 due to his lack of time to work on them.

The first series premiered on December 4, 2011, and ended up winning the International Emmy for best TV movie or miniseries. The second series started on February 11, 2013. There has also been a ChristmasSpecial, released in the UK on December 16, 2014. Creator/{{Netflix}} picked up the third and fourth series, which were released on October 21st, 2016 and December 29th, 2017, respectively. A film, ''Bandersnatch'', was released on December 28, 2018. The fifth series was released on June 5th 2019.

In case you prefer reading to those dangerous televisions, Brooker is also editing a literary series of original ''Black Mirror'' stories.

* BlackMirror/WhiteChristmas2014

* DistractAndDisarm: {{Parodied}} in "[[Recap/BlackMirrorUSSCallister USS Callister]]": Daly and his crew are held at gunpoint by Valdack. Daly distracts Valdack by saying [[RefugeInAudacity "Look! A naked lady!"]] which... works (Valdack asks "where?"), and enables him to attack back and disarm Valdack, who begs for death. In fact, this is because Valdack is another captive clone and he is neither capable of nor interested in hurting anybody. The absurdity of the premise is to show Daly's petty control of the clones and his obsession with remaking tropes from ''Space Fleet''.

* AssholeVictim: Occasionally played straight, but [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed more often than not,]] particularly in "White Bear", "Shut Up and Dance", "Hated by the Nation", "White Christmas", and "USS Callister". The assholes often do things that make them seem unsympathetic such as being rude overall to [[spoiler:engaging in child murder or pornography,]] but the events they go through are so utterly horrific that any sense of schadenfreude is drained right out. Meanwhile, their tormentors, those that have designated them assholes, are very clearly little better than those they attack and humiliate, [[KnightTemplar often using pretensions of vigilante justice]] [[YouAreWhatYouHate to engage in being assholes themselves]].

* AdultFear: Surprisingly prevalent. There are only a few episodes with more outlandish threats. Mosty, ''Black Mirror'' deals with things like the fear of losing a child or a spouse, the fear of heartbreak and infidelity, the fear of losing your social standing, etc. and how human reaction to these things is twisted by new technology.

->''"The future is [[CrapsaccharineWorld broken]]."''

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: All over the place in the scale, depending on the episode. Some episodes fall on the hard end of the scale due to dealing with technology that could potentially exist, albeit other episodes fall on the soft end due to ArtisticLicense (for instance, [[Recap/BlackMirrorUSSCallister USS Calister]], in which the DNA apparently also stores the memories and personality of the human being it belongs to).

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: All over the place in the scale, varies from episode by episode. Some episodes fall on the hard end of the scale due to dealing with technology that could potentially exist, albeit other episodes fall on the soft end due to ArtisticLicense (for instance, [[Recap/BlackMirrorUSSCallister USS Calister]], in which the DNA apparently also stores the memories and personality to the human being it belongs).

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Mostly hard SF, falling around 5 (Speculative Science) or even 5.5 (Futurology).