TV Shows and Movies That Correctly Predicted the Future

I have always believed that science fiction is a mirror of human imagination. As such, TV shows predicting the future has become a weirdly common thing especially in comedies. Maybe it’s because throwing out wild predictions is part of the joke but every now and then those jokes end up being strangely accurate. Sci-fi shows get most in the action especially when there’s time travel or alternate timelines involved. Whether it’s a tiny random detail or a world-changing event, some of these predictions are just plain spooky. So how do they do it? Well sometimes it makes sense that writers are just doing their homework better than us and manage to connect the dots before the rest of us. But other times the predictions are so spot-on it’s like the writers had a crystal ball. From funny to freaky, here are TV shows that somehow nailed future events before they even happened. Let me see if I explain those prediction with any grain of sand of sanity.

The Simpsons

The Simpsons has become infamous for predicting real-world events years before they happen. The show has provided an uncanny number of accurate forecasts in its 30+ years of satirical episodes:

• Smartwatches In the 1995 episode “Lisa’s Wedding,” Lisa’s fiancé is seen speaking into a watch. This predated the launch of the Apple Watch and similar devices by two decades. As astonishing as this may be, I don't thing it was too hard to get this one considering the fact that wireless technology and computers were already known. I would clasify this under the "nice to have" category.
• Donald Trump as President The 2000 episode “Bart to the Future” imagined a dystopian future where Donald Trump had been president. At the time, such a scenario seemed far-fetched. Ofcourse we all know that became a reality sixteen years later. This one is crazy but not totally unimagianlbe considering that Trump has been publictly outspoken on political affairs. Some might say that the predication itself inspired Trump into pursuing presidential aspirations, but who knows!?
• Disney Acquiring 20th Century Fox In 1998, a sign in the episode “When You Dish Upon a Star” showed that 20th Century Fox was a division of Walt Disney Co. This merger actually happened in 2019. It is not so difficult to explain this if you happen to work in the entertmaint field and subject to insider rumors and talks. To someone from outside it may seem unbelievale but entirely within the reach of hollywood writers.
• Video Calling The same 1995 episode also featured video calls, which are now an everyday part of life through apps like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. I would put this in the category as the smartwatche category, a desired feature inspired from missing capailities of existing technology at the time and seen as natural consequence or followup.
• Autocorrect Fails In 1994, an episode featured a device that incorrectly autocorrected text messages. This issue became a common smartphone frustration with the rise of iOS and Android. Autocorretors were already know at the time. The writers simply imagined a situation where by a technology could impose a problem. I wouldn't classify this as a prediction, just a vivid imagination.

Star Trek

Star Trek has been a source of inspiration for inventors and engineers around the world. Many technologies from the series have since found their way into our daily lives. It is often debated whether the show actually predicated the future or was just a major inspiration.

• Tablet Computers Crew members on Star Trek: The Next Generation often used flat, handheld devices for reading and input. Today, tablets like iPads are commonplace. At the time, computers were already a thing, ofcourse they were as common as today but their existance was known. However, imaging a device where no keyboard or mouse are are required is truely imaginative.
• Bluetooth Earpieces Uhura’s wireless earpiece resembled modern Bluetooth headsets and earbuds, which didn't exist when the original series aired in the 1960s. Wired phones already existed at the time as well as walkie-talkies. It is perhaps someone wanted to combine the communication capailities of the phone with the wireles abilities of the walkie-talkies. Definitly not an anomaly.
• Universal Translators The series used devices that could instantly translate alien languages. Today’s apps like Google Translate offer real-time voice translation.

Back to the Future Part II

Although hoverboards didn't come true (hopefully someday - that would be so cool), many ideas from the 1989 film did predict future trends.

• Biometric Payments The film showed thumbprint-based payments, now similar to how we use fingerprints and facial recognition to authorize purchases. I strongly argue that this technology already existed at the time but not released to the public. RFID was in its early days so it is not entirelly impossible to imagine such a scenario.
• Drones A drone is seen walking a dog and capturing video. Today, drones are used for photography, delivery, and even law enforcement. I personally don't find this too surprising. After all, a drop is just a mini helicopter.
• Smart Glasses The film depicted kids wearing AR-style glasses. Products like Google Glass and Meta Quest resemble this vision.

Minority Report

Steven Spielberg’s 2002 thriller envisioned a future shaped by data and surveillance, much of which is now reality.

• Targeted Ads In the movie, billboards scan people’s eyes to serve personalized ads. Modern web ads track browsing history and location in similar ways. Targeted Ads have always been the Holy grail of adverting and the absolute dream of marketers but the technology was not there to make it happen. Perhaps Spielberg envisioned a world where targeted Ads become a reailty.
• Gesture-Based Computing – Tom Cruise’s character manipulates digital screens using hand gestures. Today’s VR and AR devices often include similar controls. This was truly revolutionry and salute anyone who came up with that idea.
• Predictive Policing – The PreCrime unit uses data to prevent crimes. Several police departments now use AI-driven systems to identify high-risk areas or individuals.

Black Mirror

This anthology series explores dark sides of technology, and some of its ideas have already taken shape in real life. These predictions are truly marvelous but they all stem from our human's desire for control and manipulations. Still I have to give credit for them coming up with these ideas.

• Robot Dogs – In “Metalhead,” a robotic dog hunts humans. Boston Dynamics has since developed highly mobile robot dogs now used in military and industrial settings.
• Social Credit – “Nosedive” depicts a society where people rate each other constantly. China has experimented with social credit systems that affect job eligibility and travel.
• Digital Cloning – “Be Right Back” features a grieving woman who uses AI to replicate her partner’s voice and personality. Today, voice cloning and deepfakes are widely available.

The Jetsons

This 1962 animated series was light-hearted, but surprisingly visionary.

• Video Calls – The Jetsons used video phones in their everyday lives. Today, video conferencing is a global norm.
• Robot Helpers – Rosie, the family robot maid, predicted the rise of domestic robots like Roomba and Alexa-enabled assistants.

Total Recall

• Driverless Cars – The film introduced "Johnny Cab," a self-driving taxi. Companies like Waymo and Tesla have made autonomous vehicles a reality today.