Sci-Fi Horror Shows To Watch If You Love Black Mirror

Black Mirror imagines dystopian worlds that bring the flaws of technology to the forefront — and no topic, whether morbid or mind-bending, is off limits. It's a daring, thought-provoking blend that's led to widespread acclaim... and a consistent demand for new episodes during the long wait between seasons.

For the show's fans, the worst part about Black Mirror is that the episodes go too fast and we're stuck waiting another year and some change for a new batch of chapters. Fortunately, a Black Mirror movie expanded this universe and highlighted further consequences of modern technology, whether realistic, blown out of proportion, or fantasy-driven. There are also other addicting sci-fi horror TV shows and movies just waiting to be streamed.

Whether you're looking for an anthology series that's similar to Black Mirror or something entirely different but still on brand, here are sci-fi horror shows to watch if you love the show that breaks down social constructs and highlights the flaws of technology.

The original Amazing Stories television series, created and produced by Steven Spielberg, aired for two seasons in the '80s. While not a huge ratings winner, the show was a cult favorite — one whose enduring popularity led to a revival on the Apple TV+ streaming platform in 2020. Spielberg remains an executive producer of the show, which features actors you'll likely recognize (such as Victoria Pedretti, who stars in Netflix hits The Haunting of Hill House and You).

This anthology series, which also creates unique scenarios that challenge the mind, such as a dude going back in time to meet the love of his life and eventually getting stuck in the past while his love is shot to the future, is more kid-friendly and less intense than, say, Black Mirror. Nonetheless, Amazing Stories takes the viewer on many journeys while being rather bingeable and fun. Whether you're looking to pass the time enjoyably or get lost in fascinating imaginary worlds, Amazing Stories will do the trick.

The Handmaid's Tale isn't really anything like Black Mirror, but this Hulu original is similarly difficult to stop watching once the viewer pushes play. Adapted from Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel of the same name, it can be a brutally difficult watch, not least because of the Second American Civil War setting it takes place in — as well as the way the people of this civilization are treated, especially the titular handmaids (a term used to describe the last fertile women in America), who are forced to be child-bearing slaves. 

The Handmaid's Tale can routinely make the audience angry as it goes along, but that's because of its disturbing nature, the way multiple main characters are treated, and the epic storytelling that, unlike Black Mirror, needs little technology. Still, despite the differences between the two shows, the dystopian thread that connects them should satisfy fans of either series.

Maniac is weird in all the right ways. This addictive, excellently acted dark comedy series, starring Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sally Field, and others, takes the audience into a retro-futuristic world. While not an anthology, the episodes link Stone and Hill's characters together in different lives and backstories through their experiences as part of a pharmaceutical trial, which sort of gives it an anthology touch.

Stone and Hill's characters, Annie Landsberg and Owen Milgrim, both suffer from mental trauma, but the trial is said to solve any mental issue. Of course, the extreme pill-taking experiment doesn't go according to plan — let's just say a machine goes haywire, typical of sci-fi plots. Still, seeing the two actors jump from character to character makes for a thrilling ride, and the world that's created could take place 30 years ago or 30 years in the future.

If it's science fiction you desire, Orphan Black will deliver. The Canadian sci-fi thriller revolves around the theme of cloning and Tatiana Maslany does an epic job no matter what persona/clone she's inhabiting. Without giving too much away, the pilot shows Maslany's character, Sarah Manning, witnessing the suicide of Beth Childs, who's also played by Maslany. Although the questions surrounding her doppelgänger's death are eventually answered, that doesn't stop Manning, a con artist, from stealing Beth's life (money and boyfriend included). Because this is a TV show with a science fiction twist, Maslany's plan backfires and the audience is taken on a wickedly smart ride that's hard to stop watching once you've started. It isn't an anthology like Black Mirror, but if it's dark, clever sci-fi you're after, Orphan Black has everything you're looking for.

Sense8 is similar to The Umbrella Academy (which is itself similar to X-Men) in the sense that it gathers eight strangers with powers that are connected to one another. As a result of being mentally and emotionally linked, each member shares telepathic visions and thoughts, which is where this show starts to take its own shape and separate itself from other stories about makeshift super-powered families.

Sense8 brings together eight characters from all over the world, making it possible to explore different viewpoints and lifestyles, not just traditional subjects of sci-fi such as technology and artificial intelligence.

Adding extra incentive for sci-fi fans, this series has a truly impressive genre pedigree: Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski, who wrote and directed The Matrix, also created Sense8 alongside J. Michael Straczynski. Tuning in to a new show is always something of a gamble, but if your tastes run to dystopian sci-fi, you know you're in good hands here.

Taking off from the 1973 film of the same name, Westworld revolves around a story that could have been a terrific Black Mirror plot. The show takes place in a world where highly advanced robots don't know they're robots and people escape reality via artificial consciousness. Set in a theme park, this dystopian show introduces viewers to guests who get to live out their wildest fantasies in a technologically advanced Wild West setting.

The theme park is populated by androids known as "hosts" who are, to put it mildly, treated unfairly by the uber-rich who can afford to indulge their thirsts and fantasies. As any science fiction fan might expect, the programmed hosts ultimately question their humanity (or lack thereof); meanwhile, the rich vacationers can get away with anything they want without repercussions. Hungry for more dark sci-fi between Black Mirror seasons? Westworld is an ideal destination.