1. Max Headroom (1987-1988) – Fake News & Deepfakes
This cyberpunk cult classic imagined a world where television networks controlled everything, and AI-generated personalities delivered news, according to IMDb. Sound familiar? In an era before the internet boom, Max Headroom predicted deepfake technology and the rise of fake news, where digital personalities could be manipulated. Today, with AI-generated anchors already appearing in China and fake videos swaying public opinion, this show was disturbingly ahead of its time.
It also foresaw a world where corporations had more power than governments, using media to control people’s perceptions. Social media algorithms today dictate what we see, often reinforcing biases or spreading misinformation. The show’s protagonist, a rogue journalist, fought against these forces—something modern investigative reporters struggle with daily. What seemed like dystopian sci-fi in the ‘80s is now just a Tuesday in the digital age.
2. Probe (1988) – Smart Homes & Voice Assistants
This short-lived mystery show, created by Isaac Asimov, followed a genius scientist solving crimes with the help of a high-tech home assistant, IMDb explains. While the concept of a talking AI helping with daily tasks seemed far-fetched in the ‘80s, it basically predicted Alexa and Google Assistant. The character’s home was controlled entirely by voice commands, automating everything from security to temperature. At the time, it felt like pure science fiction, but today, smart homes are an everyday reality.
Beyond voice control, Probe also envisioned AI with personality, something modern developers are striving to perfect. Today’s virtual assistants respond with jokes, adapt to speech patterns, and even mimic emotions. The show’s AI companion wasn’t just functional; it was a partner in solving crimes, much like how AI is now used in law enforcement and cybersecurity. While Probe didn’t last long, its ideas certainly outlived it.
3. Wild Palms (1993) – Augmented Reality & Digital Escapism
This miniseries, produced by Oliver Stone, took a dark look at the future of entertainment, according to Keith Watson from Slant Magazine. It imagined a world where people were obsessed with virtual reality, using it as an escape from their dull real lives. The show introduced holographic TV and augmented reality glasses, years before companies like Apple and Meta started making them real. Today, with AR filters, VR headsets, and metaverse ambitions, Wild Palms looks less like fiction and more like prophecy.
It also warned of the dangers of losing oneself in digital worlds, something that’s become all too real. Social media addiction, virtual influencers, and deep-seated political manipulation through digital spaces mirror the show’s themes. The idea that people could be brainwashed through technology seemed outlandish in 1993, but now it’s an everyday concern. If Wild Palms had aired today, it might have been seen as a little too on the nose.
4. Almost Perfect (1995-1996) – The Rise of Women in Power & Work-Life Balance Struggles
This little-remembered sitcom followed a woman navigating a high-powered career while juggling personal relationships, according to Carole Horst from Variety. At a time when TV mostly showed women in supporting roles, Almost Perfect predicted the rise of women in executive positions. It tackled issues like work-life balance, office politics, and gender biases in a way that feels even more relevant now. Today, with more women in leadership and ongoing conversations about burnout, the show was ahead of its time.
It also explored the growing difficulties of maintaining personal relationships in an always-connected world. While it didn’t have smartphones or Zoom meetings, the main character’s struggle to “have it all” mirrors modern-day dilemmas. The idea that technology and career ambition could interfere with love and friendships has only become more true. Though it was marketed as just another ‘90s sitcom, it touched on themes that are now central to workplace culture.
5. Harsh Realm (1999) – The Metaverse & Virtual Warfare
This sci-fi thriller from X-Files creator Chris Carter imagined a world where people could live inside a virtual simulation. The show’s characters were trapped in an immersive, computer-generated world designed to test military strategies. Years before The Matrix made the idea mainstream, Harsh Realm predicted the rise of metaverse-like spaces. Today, companies like Meta and Microsoft are investing heavily in virtual worlds, making this show oddly prophetic.
It also anticipated how governments and corporations could use virtual reality for warfare and psychological manipulation. The military now uses VR for training soldiers, and some intelligence agencies rely on AI-driven simulations for predicting conflicts. The idea that people could become addicted to a digital existence, preferring it over real life, is something we already see with online gaming and social media. Harsh Realm may have been canceled quickly, but its vision of the future lingers on.
6. Century City (2004) – AI Lawyers & Ethical Dilemmas in Technology
This short-lived legal drama was set in 2030, but many of its “futuristic” ideas are already here. The show featured AI-driven legal assistants, biometric security, and court cases debating human rights for clones. It explored the legal implications of emerging tech, from genetic engineering to AI replacing human workers. While some of its ideas seemed absurd in 2004, today, they’re real concerns facing lawmakers.
One episode focused on a musician suing a record label for using AI to mimic his voice, something that’s actually happening now. With deepfake voices and AI-generated music, the industry is already grappling with these issues. Century City also foresaw the rise of AI in law firms, which is now being actively tested to review contracts and assist with legal research. It may have been a legal drama, but it was also a glimpse into the tech-driven future we now live in.
7. The Lone Gunmen (2001) – Predicting 9/11
This X-Files spinoff is best remembered for one chilling detail: it eerily foreshadowed the 9/11 attacks. In the pilot episode, which aired in March 2001, terrorists hijack a plane and attempt to crash it into the World Trade Center. The motive? To manipulate the stock market and push America into war—something that sparked endless conspiracy theories after the real-life attacks. At the time, it seemed like just another wild TV plot, but six months later, fiction became reality.
While the show didn’t last beyond one season, this episode gained notoriety in the years that followed. Many have debated whether it was just an eerie coincidence or something deeper, though the writers insist it was based on known terrorist threats. Beyond that, The Lone Gunmen also predicted government surveillance and hacking scandals that would later become commonplace. In retrospect, it was one of the most unsettling cases of TV predicting reality.
8. Better Off Ted (2009-2010) – Workplace AI & Corporate Ethics
This underrated satire took a hilarious but shockingly accurate look at corporate technology. The fictional company, Veridian Dynamics, experimented with AI management, workplace surveillance, and even genetically engineered employees. In one episode, an automated system decided that a Black employee didn’t exist due to faulty facial recognition—an issue that’s now a real-world problem with biased AI. At the time, the idea of AI making hiring or firing decisions seemed absurd, but it’s now a growing concern.
The show also touched on the ethical dilemmas of corporate innovation, from freezing employees for “future use” to creating lab-grown meat. With companies like Google and Amazon under scrutiny for workplace surveillance and AI-driven decisions, Better Off Ted looks more like a warning than a comedy. The way it depicted employees as mere test subjects for tech experiments feels eerily relevant today. If it had aired a decade later, it might have been considered more of a documentary than a sitcom.
9. Reboot (1994-2001) – Internet Viruses & Cybersecurity Threats
This animated show was one of the first to take place inside a computer, long before most people understood how the internet really worked. It depicted a world where viruses, hackers, and system crashes were dangerous, unpredictable threats—just like today’s cybersecurity landscape. The show’s villains, like Megabyte and Hexadecimal, functioned like modern-day malware, disrupting the digital ecosystem. At the time, cyber threats seemed abstract, but now they’re an everyday battle for governments and corporations alike.
The show also predicted how the internet would evolve into a living, constantly shifting entity that people could interact with. Today, cyberattacks, ransomware, and AI-powered hacking tools have made online security one of the biggest global concerns. The idea of a digital universe with its own rules, dangers, and hierarchies mirrors how the internet has become its own world. For a ‘90s kids’ show, Reboot had an almost unsettling level of foresight.
10. VR.5 (1995) – Virtual Therapy & AI-Driven Mental Health Support
This forgotten Fox drama centered around a woman who could enter virtual reality and interact with people’s subconscious minds. While it was meant as sci-fi, the idea of using VR for therapy is now very real. VR is currently used to treat PTSD, phobias, and anxiety disorders, allowing patients to face their fears in controlled environments. In the ‘90s, mental health was still a taboo subject, but VR.5 suggested that technology could play a big role in treatment.
The show also explored AI’s ability to understand human emotions, something that today’s tech companies are racing to perfect. AI chatbots now offer therapy sessions, and programs like Woebot and Wysa provide mental health support through text-based conversations. The concept of a digital space where people can confront trauma feels even more relevant in a world where online therapy is booming. Though VR.5 was ahead of its time, it foreshadowed a future where technology and mental health are deeply intertwined.
11. Now and Again (1999-2000) – Biohacking & Military Transhumanism
This sci-fi drama followed a man whose brain was placed into a genetically enhanced super-soldier’s body after a fatal accident. While the idea seemed purely fictional at the time, modern biohacking and military experiments suggest otherwise. The U.S. military is already researching ways to enhance soldiers through genetic modifications, bionic limbs, and AI-assisted cognition. The show’s premise of using science to create the “perfect” human is no longer just science fiction.
It also touched on the ethical concerns of treating people as disposable assets in the name of national security. With recent breakthroughs in CRISPR gene editing and brain-computer interfaces, scientists are already tinkering with human biology in ways once thought impossible. The idea of a government secretly building enhanced soldiers mirrors real-world DARPA projects aiming to push human limits. Now and Again may have been a short-lived drama, but its predictions are closer than ever to reality.
12. Person of Interest (2011-2016) – Mass Surveillance & Predictive AI
Though not completely forgotten, Person of Interest deserves more credit for how well it predicted our modern surveillance state. The show centered around an AI system that could analyze data and predict crimes before they happened—years before predictive policing became a real thing. In the show, government agencies relied on mass surveillance, facial recognition, and behavior analysis, which now exist in real life. Today, AI-driven policing tools and social media monitoring programs eerily resemble what this show depicted.
It also warned about the dangers of unchecked government surveillance and AI decision-making. Whistleblowers like Edward Snowden exposed how closely Person of Interest mirrored reality, showing that mass data collection wasn’t just a fantasy. The ethical dilemmas of predictive AI—like whether it should intervene before a crime happens—are still hotly debated today. While the show was dismissed as a conspiracy thriller at the time, it turned out to be frighteningly on target.
13. Earth: Final Conflict (1997-2002) – Human-AI Hybrids & Advanced Prosthetics
This sci-fi drama, based on a concept by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, featured alien technology merging with human biology. One of its core ideas was the creation of human-AI hybrids, where technology enhanced physical and mental abilities. Fast-forward to today, and Elon Musk’s Neuralink is testing brain implants to merge humans with AI. The show’s depiction of cybernetic enhancements isn’t far off from modern prosthetic limbs controlled by brain signals.
It also explored the potential loss of human identity when technology becomes too integrated with biology. Today, ethical debates rage over AI implants, genetic modifications, and transhumanist movements pushing to “upgrade” people. With brain chips, exoskeletons, and even AI-generated personalities becoming reality, Earth: Final Conflict feels eerily prescient. What once seemed like outlandish sci-fi is now an emerging ethical and scientific battleground.
