--- title: "Black Mirror: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/black-mirror/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/black-mirror" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Black Mirror (2011): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 10 reviews: 10 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are uniformly positive and unusually of one mind. Most critics see Charlie Brooker’s anthology as a 21st-century Twilight Zone, dark satire played with a straight face, and they admire how the opening episode takes an absurd premise about a prime minister and treats it as sober drama, making it both funny and tragic. The praise clusters on the writing, on its observations about social media and the crowd, and on the performances, with Rory Kinnear and Lindsay Duncan singled out. The spread is narrow, from good to very good, and nobody dissents. What differs is how much each critic has seen. Most reviews cover only the premiere. Empire, having watched all three episodes, rates the final one as the standout. Paste, looking back a decade on, argues that the first series’ standalone stories and refusal of neat endings are what later runs lost. The reservation, such as it is, concerns what came after, not these episodes. ## Empire — William Thomas Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2012. Charlie Brooker’s three-part series is a dark, thought-provoking 21st-century Twilight Zone spin that mixes horror and satire. The final episode stands out as a heartbreaking triumph. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/black-mirror-review/) ## Radio Times Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). The premiere is filthy, hilarious and darkly satirical, with a shocking premise about a prime minister facing an impossible dilemma that unfolds with straight-faced absurdity and a thick-of-it edge. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-b5uqkg/black-mirror-season-1/?episode=b-lr1lc7) ## Variety — Brian Lowry Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 November 2013. The anthology is creepy, clever and unsettling, capturing modern anxieties through a near-future lens with darkly satiric overtones; it compares favorably to The Twilight Zone. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/tv-review-directvs-black-mirror-secret-state-1200802890/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2014. The critic calls the dystopian anthology miniseries cynical, searing, shockingly good, and often disturbing, praising its aggressive political take on Western society and how it says more in six episodes than most shows do in dozens. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/12/black-mirrors-frightening-excellence.html) ## The Telegraph — Michael Hogan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2011. The review calls the first episode a daring, shocking and ballsy blackly comic study of modern media and social networking that becomes oddly believable and tragic. It singles out the audacious satire and its Twilight Zone-like effect for praise. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8932095/Black-Mirror-The-National-Anthem-Channel-4-review.html) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2011. The critic praises the episode as brilliant satire that reveals the ugly faces of those in power and society's rotten aspects through its shocking premise. It is one of the smartest pieces of drama on television in a long time, played with magnificent solemnity. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/last-nights-tv-black-mirror-the-national-anthem-90sc37x3p72) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2011. The critic finds the premiere episode a superior political satire that plays its absurd premise as straight drama, making the PM's dilemma both touching and funny. It singles out the inexorability of the lead performance and the credible voyeurism of the media frenzy for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/dec/04/weekend-tv-highlights-black-mirror) ## The Independent — Neela Debnath Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2011. The review calls it a darkly comic tale from Charlie Brooker's warped mind exploring the power of social media and the collective 'hive mind'. It is engrossing and carefully crafted, with strong performances, especially from Lindsay Duncan, serving as a cautionary tale. [Read the review](http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/12/04/review-of-black-mirror-%E2%80%93-%E2%80%98the-national-anthem%E2%80%99/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2011. The critic praises the episode as a grim yet compelling caricature of post-Web 2.0 society, highlighting its observations on social media and public opinion. It singles out Rory Kinnear’s performance and the script's blend of dark humor and stark truth for praise. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-mirror-episode-1-spoiler-free-review-the-national-anthem/) ## Paste — Katherine Connell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2021. The critic praises the 2011 Season 1 for its innovative standalone narratives, refusal of closure, and strong performances that humanize the dystopian tech themes, especially in episodes like 'Fifteen Million Merits' and 'The Entire History of You.' They note its self-reflexive satire and genre pastiche while critiquing how later seasons lost some of that inventive edge. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/black-mirror/black-mirror-season-1-anniversary-legacy) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/tv/black-mirror.md