Black Mirror is one of the premier sci-fi series on TV, and has been for a long time. Each episode tells a standalone story about technology, which has changed a lot in the 14 years since the show first premiered on Netflix in 2011; Black Mirror never lacks for new material.
That said, as many great episodes of Black Mirror as there are, mileage can vary. For every “San Junipero,” there’s a “Waldo Moment.” For every “USS Callister,” there’s a “Mazey Day.” But Black Mirror isn’t the only place you can get your fix for smart, edgy sci-fi.
Devs
What if reality isn’t even real, man?
We’re going to start with a bit of an obscure pick, but it’s worth it if you want to have your brain well and truly melted. Devs feels a bit like a high-quality episode of Black Mirror stretched out to the length of a whole miniseries, which means more time to get into the nitty-gritty details.
The drama begins with a young software engineer named Lily (Sonoya Mizuno), whose boyfriend dies shortly after joining the Devs team at Amaya, a quantum computing company. I don’t want to spoil things because the revelations are worth experiencing for yourself, but the Devs team is working on something truly brain-bending, and not altogether unrealistic given how sophisticated computer modeling is getting in our own world. Parks and Recreation alum Nick Offerman turns in a great performance as the CEO of Amaya, a megalomaniacal tech mogul who may or may not remind you of people you’ve seen in the news.
Devs is science fiction, but it feels like fiction that could become reality, which makes it even more disquieting.
- Release Date
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2020 – 2020-00-00
- Network
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FX
- Showrunner
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Alex Garland
- Directors
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Alex Garland
- Writers
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Alex Garland
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Stephen McKinley Henderson
Dark
Grim even by German standards
Dark is a bit more out there. This German-language series (watch it with subtitles to get the most out of it) is set in a small town where children are mysteriously disappearing. From there, we’re pulled into an incredibly dense story that explores the history of the town, the role of four families in its development, and time travel. Time travel is always a risky conceit, and reasonable minds can differ about whether Dark can be counted among those movies and TV shows that actually try and get the science behind it right, but it adds another layer to a story that’s already very twisty and complicated.
In fact, Dark has a reputation for repelling people who enjoy their TV a bit more digestible, which is perfectly fine. But if you’re the kind of person who wants to get obsessed with the lore behind a series to the point where it haunts your dreams, Dark will provide.
- Release Date
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2017 – 2020
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Jantje Friese
- Directors
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Baran bo Odar
- Writers
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Marc O. Seng, Martin Behnke, Ronny Schalk
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Louis Hofmann
Jonas Kahnwald
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Lisa Vicari
Martha Nielsen
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Andreas Pietschmann
The Stranger
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Maja Schöne
Hannah Kahnwald
Dark Matter
The real multiverse of madness
What I’m learning is that sci-fi shows smarter and darker than Black Mirror invariably start with the letter ‘D.’ Add Dark Matter to the pile.
Dark Matter is about a physicist who finds himself in an alternate universe very much like his own; meanwhile, an alternate version of himself tries to move into his universe and take over his life. It’s got all the heady sci-fi concepts you’d want from a show like this, along with a healthy helping of family drama.
While Devs and Dark are over and done, a second season of Dark Matter is coming out early next year, so it’s a great time to start watching.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2017-00-00
- Network
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SyFy, Space
- Directors
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Ron Murphy, Andy Mikita, Bruce McDonald, John Stead, T.J. Scott, amanda tapping, Craig David Wallace, Gail Harvey, Lee Rose, Paolo Barzman, Steve DiMarco, Melanie Orr, Mairzee Almas, T.W. Peacocke
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Alexander Mandra
Ishida Cruiser Soldier #2
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Andrew Moodie
Teku Fonsei
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Severance
Work-life balanace like you’ve never seen it before
Time to explore the rest of the alphabet! Severance is one of the most talked-about sci-fi shows in recent memory; if you’re reading this, I’m guessing you’ve already watched it, but in case you haven’t, let me fill you in on what you’re missing.
Severance is set in a weird, snowy, sideways version of reality where people can segment their own personalities through a process called “severance.” When the show starts, the process is mainly used on employees at a shady company called Lumon; when the employees are at work, they remember nothing of their home lives, and vice versa. The work selves, who are newer, start developing wants and needs and goals of their own, to the point where they’re at odds with their “real” selves. But which of them is “real” at this point?
While you chew on that, you can also contemplate what Lumon is really up to with the severance process. There are a lot of eyes on Severance after a hugely successful second season, and everyone is eager for answers. Join us.
- Release Date
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February 17, 2022
- Network
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Apple TV
- Showrunner
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Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
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Tramell Tillman
Seth Milchick
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The Twilight Zone
Sometimes the classics are best
We can’t talk about alternatives to Black Mirror without bringing up The Twilight Zone, the sci-fi anthology series that inspired Black Mirror in the first place. Once again, each episode of The Twilight Zone stands on its own and tells a different sci-fi tale. And once again, mileage varies; we get all-time classics like “Eye of the Beholder” and “To Serve Man” as well as stinkers like “The Bard” and “The Mighty Casey.” The difference is that while Black Mirror has only 34 episodes as of this moment, the original Twilight Zone has over 150, so you can just watch the good ones and still spend more time than you would on the entirety of Black Mirror.
And if you find even that’s not enough, you can check out The Twilight Zone revival series in the 1980s. And if that’s too dated, sample Jordan Peele’s revival series from 2019. The original show is the best, but this concept has serious legs, and there are episodes worth watching from each version.
- Release Date
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2019 – 2020-00-00
- Network
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CBS All Access
- Directors
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Greg Yaitanes, Osgood Perkins, Richard Shepard, Christina Choe, Craig William Macneill, Jakob Verbruggen, Ana Lily Amirpour, J.D. Dillard, Owen Harris, Tayarisha Poe
- Writers
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Glen Morgan, Heather Anne Campbell, Emily C. Chang, Andrew Guest, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Sara Amini, Alex Rubens
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China Shavers
Air Marshal
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There’s always more sci-fi
This is just scratching the surface. If you still can’t get enough of Black Mirror’s anthology format, check out Love Death + Robots, a Netflix anthology series with shorter, often lighter episodes, all of them animated in gorgeous fashion. Netflix also hosts 3 Body Problem, an alien invasion story that doesn’t sacrifice intelligence for action. You could check out The Expanse over on Prime Video if you want something a little more space operatic, and the 2025 sci-fi series Pluribus is turning heads on Apple TV+. Basically, if you love TV and want to get chills as you think deep thoughts about the nature of existence, your cup runneth over. Drink up.
