Does The Simpsons predict the future
                     DOES THE 
SIMPSONS 
PREDICT THE 
FUTURE?
Trending Entertainment News on ponderly.com by Gina P. & Elisa L.
Fact Box
• Billed as the longest-running animated series on television, The 
Simpsons debuted in 1987 as an animated short on Fox’s The Tracey 
Ullman Show. Created by cartoonist Matt Groening and set in the 
fictional town of Springfield, the show “centers on a family with all the 
dysfunctions of the modern era but the demographics of the 1950s.”
• In 1999, Time magazine named The Simpsons the best TV show of the 
20th century.
• The Hollywood Reporter reveals that as of June 2023, there have been 
31 instances in which The Simpsons have correctly predicted the future. 
 
• University of Albany math professor Matt Zaremsky conducted a study 
about The Simpsons’ ability to predict the future, and his research 
concluded that the show “has roughly a 1.6% rate of success.”
Elisa (Yes)
• The Simpsons has 'predicted' the future too many times at this point for it to be 
considered a coincidence. As the saying goes, 'Once is chance, twice is coincidence, 
and third time's a pattern.' 
• There are an endless amount of noted predictions in the show, and while 'most' of 
them can be explained away, not all of them can. For example, Trump's presidency 
was predicted at a time when no one would believe that the business tycoon and 
reality star could be elected to the highest office in the land. Predictions like these 
'freak' people out due to their accuracy and show that they are more than just good 
guesses at what lies ahead. 
• So, if The Simpsons really is predicting the future, the question is how. And the 
answer may be too unbelievable for some. First, we must understand that some 
scientists say time travel is possible. In fact, Einstein's famous equation, E=mc2 
shows time travel is feasible--at least in one direction.. That is perhaps why so 
many people believe that The Simpsons creator Matt Groening employs this method 
to gain knowledge about the future that he then works into the show. Seriously.
Elisa (Yes)
• Another hypothesis that has gained popularity in the conspiracy realm in 
recent years is called The Yellow Cube Theory. To summarize, The Simpsons is 
seen as the 'original' timeline to keep time itself intact, as numerous 
timelines take place in a 'many-worlds theory.' This may sound 'out there,' 
but the idea has some traction, as seen in this Reddit discussion. 
• In the end, if the Simpsons really could predict the future, would they want to 
reveal their secret to anyone? Besides, who even knows if time exists at all--
anything is possible.
Gina (No)
• In exploring whether or not The Simpsons predicts the future, one must take a 
scientist's approach and utilize something called statistical analysis. Most people 
link this methodology with big corporations working on growing their customer base 
or increasing their bottom line. However, The Simpsons successfully uses it to make 
it seem like they are predicting the future when that is not the case. Instead, as we 
all do, the show's writers examine the past, look for patterns, and employ 
imagination and creativity to foretell events. After all, as this 2014 study illustrates, 
there are 'close ties between episodic memory, imagination and predicting the 
future.' 
• Notably, the more creative one is, the more adept one is at exploring millions of 
things that could happen. And it's no surprise that The Simpsons has had 24 writers 
who are Harvard graduates, as there is a correlation between intelligence and 
creativity. William Irwin, writer of The Simpsons and Philosophy, says, 'When that 
many smart people produce a television show, it's bound to make some startling 
predictions.' 
Gina (No)
• The comedy genre also plays a role in The Simpsons' accuracy, as 
humor gives writers creative freedom to 'go off the rails,' with the 
funniest scenarios being the most illogical. Monty Python, a 70s 
comedic phenomenon, was also known to 'predict the future.' 
• But The Simpsons isn't as accurate as some would suggest. The show 
has missed the mark many times, with such plotlines as boy band 
NSYNC employing a method of mind control, the colonization of Mars 
and Venus, Big Ben utilizing a digital display, and Willie Nelson 
swimming across the English Channel. The Simpsons is funny 
entertainment, not a prophetic tool. 
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