The 1960s were filled with optimism about the future—space travel was booming, technology was advancing, and people dreamed of flying cars and robot butlers. TV shows of the era ran with these ideas, giving us imaginative glimpses of what life might look like in the decades to come. But while some predictions were spot-on, others were hilariously off the mark. From space-age families to futuristic gadgets, here are 13 TV shows from the ’60s that had wildly inaccurate views of the future—but we loved them anyway.
1. The Jetsons (1962–1963)
The Jetsons imagined a world of flying cars, moving sidewalks, and robot maids by the year 2062. While we do have smart home devices and video calls, we’re still waiting on our personal spaceships and Rosie the Robot to clean up after us. The show also predicted a three-hour workday and button-pushing jobs—something that feels laughably far from today’s hustle culture. Despite its inaccuracies, The Jetsons remains the ultimate symbol of retro-futurism.
2. Lost in Space (1965–1968)
Set in the distant future of 1997, Lost in Space followed the Robinson family as they colonized outer space, battling aliens and surviving intergalactic dangers. While space exploration did make strides, we definitely didn’t have families living on distant planets by the late ’90s. The show also featured a wise-cracking robot with human-like emotions—a far cry from today’s more practical, emotionless AI. Still, the show’s campy charm made its futuristic blunders easy to forgive.
3. Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969)
Star Trek gave us iconic tech like communicators (which eerily predicted smartphones) and replicators (a distant cousin to 3D printers). But it also featured faster-than-light space travel, teleportation, and intergalactic diplomacy with alien species—all things we’re still dreaming about. The show’s vision of a unified Earth where poverty and war are things of the past feels wildly optimistic even today. Despite its futuristic flubs, Star Trek inspired generations of dreamers and innovators.
4. Thunderbirds (1965–1966)
This British puppet-based show envisioned a 2060 where International Rescue used futuristic vehicles to save people from disasters around the globe. While drones and advanced rescue tech exist today, we’re not piloting rocket ships from secret island bases just yet. The idea that everything would be solved with technology overlooked the messy realities of disaster response. Still, Thunderbirds was ahead of its time in imagining high-tech humanitarian efforts.
5. The Time Tunnel (1966–1967)
The Time Tunnel followed two scientists who accidentally got stuck traveling through time in a massive government project. The show predicted time travel would be possible in the far-off future of 1968, which, needless to say, didn’t happen. The series imagined future tech controlling time like a television dial, something that still sounds more like science fiction than reality. But the show’s blend of history and futuristic fantasy made it a beloved classic.
6. My Favorite Martian (1963–1966)
In this sitcom, a Martian named Uncle Martin crash-lands on Earth and tries to blend in while using futuristic gadgets like invisible suits and levitation devices. While we’re still searching for life on Mars, the idea of Martians living among us with advanced tech is more fantasy than future. The show also suggested we’d be casually interacting with extraterrestrials—a concept that remains firmly in the realm of sci-fi. But its quirky humor made these wild ideas endearing.
7. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968)
This series envisioned advanced submarines exploring the depths of the ocean with futuristic technology and battling sea monsters along the way. While we’ve made strides in underwater exploration, we’re not exactly piloting nuclear-powered super-subs through underwater cities. The show also suggested a world where underwater warfare was as common as space exploration—something that hasn’t quite materialized. Still, it sparked imaginations about what mysteries the ocean might hold.
8. The Outer Limits (1963–1965)
The Outer Limits was known for its eerie, speculative stories about science and technology gone wrong, often featuring futuristic gadgets and alien encounters. While some episodes eerily predicted things like surveillance technology, others imagined mind control devices and superhuman abilities that are still far from reality. The idea that humanity would regularly interact with aliens or develop psychic powers feels like classic ’60s sci-fi optimism. But the show’s willingness to explore these ideas made it a cult favorite.
9. Batman (1966–1968)
While Batman isn’t strictly a futuristic show, it featured an array of wild gadgets that predicted a high-tech crime-fighting future. From the Batphone to the Batcomputer, the series imagined a world where technology solved every problem with a dramatic POW! or BAM!. While we do have advanced forensic tech today, we’re still waiting on shark-repellent spray and Batmobiles with rocket boosters. The show’s campy take on technology made its futuristic predictions more fun than accurate.
10. The Prisoner (1967–1968)
The Prisoner depicted a dystopian future where a mysterious village used advanced surveillance and psychological manipulation to control its residents. While some of its predictions about surveillance society hit close to home, the show’s more outlandish tech—like mind-swapping machines and giant weather balloons that captured escapees—never materialized. The idea that people could be completely stripped of their identities through tech feels like vintage sci-fi paranoia. But the show’s surreal take on the future made it a standout of its time.
11. Land of the Giants (1968–1970)
This series followed a group of people stranded on a planet where everything—and everyone—was twelve times larger than on Earth. While not exactly a “future” prediction, the show imagined space travel in 1983 as routine enough that a passenger spaceship could casually get lost in a giant-filled dimension. The idea of interdimensional travel and encountering giant alien civilizations hasn’t exactly panned out. But the show’s imaginative take on size and scale made it a unique entry in the sci-fi canon.
12. It’s About Time (1966–1967)
This short-lived sitcom followed two astronauts who accidentally traveled back to prehistoric times and tried to bring cavemen back to the modern world. The show hilariously suggested that by the ’60s, space travel was so advanced that astronauts could stumble into time portals. The idea of casually hopping between eras like a weekend trip is still firmly in the realm of fantasy. But the show’s blend of sci-fi and slapstick comedy made it a fun, if wildly inaccurate, romp.
13. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967–1968)
Set in 2068, this British series imagined a future where Earth was locked in an interplanetary war with the Mysterons, a race of Martians with the power to manipulate matter. While the concept of alien warfare was thrilling, the idea of Earth having a fully operational Spectrum agency with indestructible agents is still pure fiction. The show also featured futuristic vehicles and weapons that, while cool, are far from being realized. But its dark tone and imaginative tech made it a standout in the world of ’60s sci-fi.
These ’60s TV shows might have missed the mark on predicting the future, but their imaginative takes on technology and society captured the hopes—and fears—of the time. While we may not have flying cars or Martian neighbors, these shows continue to inspire and entertain, reminding us that the future is always full of possibilities, no matter how wild they may seem.
