10 TV Shows That Cleverly Foreshadow What Happens

Did you see these things coming in your favorite TV shows, or were just as fooled as the rest of us?

GLEN WALKING DEAD
AMC

Foreshadowing is one of the most overused plot elements done poorly, but every once in a while, a television series will use foreshadowing in such a creative and cunning manner, most fans don't even realize it. They end up having to read about the epic foreshadowing done in their favorite show online before running back to watch it again.

Think about foreshadowing in movies like The Sixth Sense. When it's done well in movies like M. Night Shyamalan's breakout hit, foreshadowing can be fun and engrossing, especially on a second or third viewing.

More often than not, foreshadowing is obvious, and it can become a tired trope, but there have been the rare standout every once in a while. These television series clearly mastered the art of foreshadowing, and there's a good chance you didn't pick up on all or even most of these.

Even though most of these series have been over for quite some time, there are tons of SPOILERS throughout this article. If you don't want to find out what was foreshadowed in a show you've yet to finish, you may want to click on to the next one as you go through the article.

10. The Walking Dead - Glenn's Death

GLEN WALKING DEAD
AMC

Fans of The Walking Dead comic books knew Glenn wasn't long for the world when Negan showed up in season six's finale, but eagle-eyed viewers may have picked up on some hints along the way. Earlier in the season, Glenn was shown in several shots with baseball bats.

Of course, it was a baseball bat that finally did him in... well, his skull at any rate. He was shown picking up a baseball bat a couple of times, and earlier in the season five opener, he was nearly bashed in the head with one at Terminus along with some of the other survivors in the gang.

These little nuances kept the fans guessing, and when it came time in season seven for Negan to crush one of the groups' skulls in, everyone knew it was going to be Glenn's final act on the series.

Then, out of nowhere, Negan brained Abraham, and it looked like all the foreshadowing was for naught. For some reason, Glenn was going to survive, unlike his character in the comics! That is, of course, right up to the point Daryll sucker-punches Negan, who pays back the little uprising by fulfilling his foreshadowed demise by introducing Glenn's head to Lucille.

Contributor
Contributor

Jonathan is a graphic artist, illustrator, writer, and game designer. Jonathan retired from the U.S. Army in 2017 and enjoys researching and writing about history, science, theology, and many other subjects. He writes for ScreenRant, CBR, NerdBastards, Listverse, Ranker, WhatCulture, and many other sites online. You can check out his latest on Twitter: @TalkingBull or on his blog: jonathanhkantor.com