There are 27 episodes in six series and one special, in addition to the interactive film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) The first two series aired on the British network Channel 4 in 2011 and 2013, as did the 2014 special "White Christmas". The programme then moved to Netflix, where four further series aired in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2023. Black Mirror is considered by many reviewers to be one of the best television series of the 2010s.
Black Mirror is an instance of speculative fiction within science fiction. The majority of episodes are set in dystopian near-futures with novel technologies that exaggerate a trait from contemporary culture, often the internet. Recurring themes throughout Black Mirror include data privacy and surveillance, virtual reality, individualism and consumerism. Some critics believed that episodes produced under Channel 4 had a more British tone or shared aesthetic qualities not found in later series.