How TV Imagines Our Technological Future in the series Years and Years

What is it about?

This article analyzes how technology is imagined and represented in the television series Years and Years, a British science-fiction drama created by Russell T Davies and co-produced by the BBC and HBO. Set in a near future that closely resembles our present, the series follows one family over 15 years and shows how everyday life is transformed by political instability, economic crises, and the rapid expansion of digital technologies. The authors examine how technologies such as artificial intelligence, surveillance systems, biometric data, social media, and transhumanist innovations are woven into the narrative. Rather than focusing on gadgets alone, the study looks at how technology reshapes work, family life, politics, health, and personal identity. To do this, the article applies Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), a method from futures studies that allows researchers to explore not only what is shown on screen, but also the deeper ideas, values, and myths that structure visions of the future.

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Photo by Aideal Hwa on Unsplash

Photo by Aideal Hwa on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The analysis shows that Years and Years presents a deeply unsettling vision of the future, where technology is embedded in all social systems and gradually pushes ordinary people toward uncertainty, loss of control, and even obsolescence. At the deepest level, the series is driven by a powerful cultural myth: the belief in the dominion of science and technology. This myth appears through three recurring narratives—the promise of technological transcendence, the growing irrelevance of human labor and bodies, and the rise of total digital surveillance. By unpacking these layers, the article demonstrates how science-fiction television can function as a critical mirror of the present, forcing viewers to reflect on current technological trajectories before they become irreversible. The study argues that series like Years and Years are not simply entertainment, but cultural tools that help societies imagine possible futures, question dominant techno-economic models, and open public debate about ethics, power, and human agency in a highly technologized world.