10 Greatest Performances In Black Mirror Episodes

Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker’s tech-savvy modern-day Twilight Zone, is renowned for its shocking plot twists and prescient future predictions, but it also has some of the best acting on television. Every episode of Black Mirror, as with any episodic anthology, tells a brand-new story with a brand-new cast of characters, so every episode presents an opportunity to bring in an A-list ringer to turn a guest role into a fully fleshed-out, three-dimensional human being.

It can be tough to get a famous actor like Rashida Jones or Jon Hamm or Anthony Mackie to commit to a whole series, but a single episode is a much shorter shoot. Ever since Netflix acquired Black Mirror and turned a weird little Channel 4 satire into a global blockbuster sensation, Black Mirror has been able to attract lucrative talent like Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard to work their magic in Brooker’s dystopian hellscape.

Rory Kinnear As Prime Minister Michael Callow

The National Anthem

Back when there was no frame of reference for what Black Mirror was, Rory Kinnear was brought in to kick off the series in shockingly salacious fashion. Years before a British prime minister would actually be accused of engaging in sexual acts with a pig, Kinnear played a PM who was forced to have sex with a pig on live television.

It’s the toughest decision any world leader has ever faced: if he doesn’t degrade himself with an act of bestiality in front of the entire nation, then the man who kidnapped a princess won’t let her go. Kinnear really sells this horrible predicament; he thinks the unthinkable, does the unspeakable, and we can see it all in his pained facial expressions.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw As Kelly

San Junipero

Just when audiences had gotten accustomed to the demoralizing bleakness of the average Black Mirror episode, Brooker did a complete tonal 180 with season 3, episode 4, “San Junipero.” Most Black Mirror episodes are cautionary tales about technology, but “San Junipero” imagines a genuinely good use for futuristic technology that might actually benefit humanity.

This episode was a huge swing, and it might not have landed. But Gugu Mbatha-Raw was such a compelling romantic lead that we all just got swept up in the love story and didn’t question why Black Mirror was suddenly so heartwarming.

Daniel Kaluuya As Bingham "Bing" Madsen

Fifteen Million Merits

Before he won an Oscar, Daniel Kaluuya starred in the second ever episode of Black Mirror, “Fifteen Million Merits.” Kaluuya has the same uncanny ability as his Sicario co-star Benicio del Toro, or Stellan Skarsgård, where they can say a lot while doing very little. They can tell you everything a character is thinking while barely moving their face. They can convey a whole emotional shift with nothing more than a look.

In “Fifteen Million Merits,” Kaluuya elevates what is generally one of Black Mirror’s weaker, more forgettable episodes. He absolutely nails his monologue towards the end — it’s no surprise that there was an Academy Award on his horizon a decade later.

Cristin Milioti As Nanette Cole

USS Callister

Cristin Milioti has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past decade in change. She managed to live up to eight seasons’ worth of buildup with her delightful turn as the mother in How I Met Your Mother, then she worked with Martin Scorsese, made a time-loop romcom with Andy Samberg, and bowled everyone away with her captivating portrayal of an abused mental patient-turned-ruthless crime boss in HBO’s The Penguin.

And somewhere in between all that, she also starred in Black Mirror’s season 4 premiere, “USS Callister.” This is one of the biggest, boldest stories that Black Mirror has ever told, and Milioti is the relatable everywoman that carries us through it.

Jon Hamm As Matt Trent

White Christmas

Jon Hamm gives a powerhouse performance in Black Mirror’s Christmas special, “White Christmas.” As we slowly figure out what kind of guy Matt Trent is, Hamm’s portrayal of the character becomes deeply haunting.

Hamm has turned antiheroes like Don Draper from Mad Men and Coop from Your Friends and Neighbors into vulnerable, sympathetic human beings. But he goes the other way with his Black Mirror role, and captures something truly monstrous and horrifying.

Paul Giamatti As Phillip Connarty

Eulogy

Season 7, episode 5, “Eulogy,” is basically Black Mirror’s answer to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and it’s just as deeply affecting as Michel Gondry’s gonzo sci-fi romance. Paul Giamatti plays a lonely, lovelorn old man poring through his memories to piece together the decades-old romance that he spectacularly fumbled.

This character leads a life filled with regret. He let the love of his life slip through his fingers, and he’s spent the rest of his days wishing he hadn’t. Giamatti brings his usual raw honesty and bracing vulnerability to this powerful, poignant performance.

Bryce Dallas Howard As Lacie Pound

Nosedive

Bryce Dallas Howard gives one of the finest performances of her career in Black Mirror’s season 3 premiere “Nosedive.” Set in a world where social media clout is currency, “Nosedive” follows Lacie Pound’s fall from grace as her star rating dips lower and lower until it triggers a full-on nervous breakdown.

Howard’s performance in this episode is unhinged in the best possible way. When we first meet Lacie, she’s barely holding it together. Then, throughout the episode, Howard gradually lets that mask slip.

Jesse Plemons As Robert Daly

USS Callister

The acting in “USS Callister” is so good, it can’t be confined to just one entry on this list. Yes, Milioti gives an incredible performance as Nanette, but her co-star Jesse Plemons is just as incredible on the other side of that battle of wits. Plemons plays the redpilled toxic-male incel who keeps digital copies of his co-workers as prisoners in his Anthony Fremont-style fantasy world.

Plemons is so great at playing these kinds of creepy, disturbed characters that he’s been typecast in that role. Robert Daly has elements of all of Plemons’ best performances: the sociopathy of Todd from Breaking Bad, the uncomfortable pathos of Teddy from Bugonia, and the hilariously awkward creep factor of Gary from Game Night.

Alex Lawther As Kenny

Shut Up And Dance

Alex Lawther’s performance as Kenny in season 3, episode 3, “Shut Up and Dance,” works on two different levels. On the first viewing, you think he’s just a regular kid in way over his head to prevent an embarrassing video from leaking. But on the second viewing, you realize he’s a monster harboring a disgusting secret, and he’s so desperate to prevent that video from getting out because it’ll expose a horrific crime that’ll ruin his life and turn everyone he loves against him.

On that second viewing, Lawther’s already-impressive performance gets even more impressive. When you know what kind of person Kenny really is, you can see his true self hiding behind Lawther’s eyes. In a way, it’s a performance of a performance. Lawther is pretending to be Kenny pretending to be just like everyone else.

Andrea Riseborough As Mia Nolan

Crocodile

If Black Mirror episodes qualified for Oscar nominations, this one would’ve been in the conversation for Best Actress. Season 4, episode 3, “Crocodile,” brings back the memory-filming technology from “The Entire History of You” and reimagines it as a plot device in a Nordic noir. Andrea Riseborough plays a guilt-ridden serial criminal whose dark past comes back to haunt her when an insurance investigator starts probing her memories.

As she desperately tries to keep her secrets hidden, Mia Nolan resorts to more and more horrific extremes, and Riseborough brings a haunting sense of authenticity to this entire psychological journey. You can really see the remorse weighing on her conscience, but you also see a shocking cold-heartedness behind every amoral decision she makes.