Oh, I've seen it too. Many shows back then had eco activism as a good thing, or at least oil execs as villains. I think even that weird "Motormice from Mars" show had an oil baron as the main antagonist.

And I don't think it couldn't happen now. Media, even when revolutionary on the surface, is barely driving real world engagement and can be easily defanged. We live in the revival era of anti-capitalist messaging in media (film and even video games), and yet it's been fully consumed by capital. I hate Zizek and his clique, but Mark Fisher was spot on in Capitalist Realism.

Avatar, one of the biggest box office successes in the world, has a blatant anti-colonial message yet most people don't apply it to the obvious parallells in the rral world. We just consume, feel good for a moment for agreeing with the obvious morally correct choice, then do fuck all about it. And execs know it.

sorry for the doomer note here