Is something bigger going on?
We all can surely imagine the writer to own some crystal ball, predicting future. But then, they are no prophets. In its almost 30 year run, the series about the world’s most famous animated family has alluded to several real life events. Moreover they predicted the same long before it actually happened.
The Simpsons is a television production with brilliant and prophetic writers.
From the Trump presidency, the discovery of the Higgs boson particle to 9/11 and, most recently, Disney’s takeover of Fox. By some accounts, these predictions may surpass the twenties.
For instance, take a look at the image below, the animated half is from 2000 while the actual photograph is from 2015.
The future can be forecast better than one might think!
One of the show’s original writers and its showrunner since 1998, Al Jean told-
“Episodes of The Simpsons air a year after they’re produced, so it’s just a sort of frame of mind that we’ve got that we think one year ahead. I predict people will make too much of our great predictions,” he adds as he jokes.
The law of truly large numbers!
It is a concept presented by the Harvard mathematicians Frederick Mosteller and Persi Diaconis in 1989. It suggests, “With a large enough sample, any outrageous thing is apt to happen.” The Simpsons is a Fox show, to have the longest-running scripted television series in the history.
Here are some of the most noteworthy predictions from The Simpsons!
- 9/11
In “The City of New York versus Homer Simpson,” there was a minute that insinuated the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, and not by any means Mr. Jean could clarify it.
Predicted – 1997
Happened – 2001
He said, “There is a frame where there’s a brochure that says New York at $9 a day, and behind the nine are the twin towers. So they look like an 11, and it looks like a 9/11. That one is a completely bizarre, strange thing.”
2. Disney acquires 21st Century Fox.
The latest “Simpsons” forecast to come true was Disney’s $52 billion deal for 21st Century Fox, reported in December. “When You Dish Upon a Star,” there’s this sign reading “20th Century Fox, a division of Walt Disney Co.”
Predicted – 1998
Happened – 2017
Mr. Jean said, “This sort of prediction was in line with the writers’ forward-thinking process. The deal was just another one. It happens, There’s always mergers. It seemed logical, you know?”
3. The Trump presidency!
Mr. Jean said,
“Mention The Simpsons predictions to someone, and their responses will be like, ‘They predicted Trump, right?’ While it might seem pretty amazing, it’s actually one of the show’s most logical prognoses. There’s a category I would call plausible predictions, which Trump would fall under.”
Predicted – 2000
Happened – 2016
He further adds, “People have somewhat forgotten, but he was talking about running for president then. So it wasn’t somebody totally out of the blue. It was a guy who was a punchline name and had presidential aspirations.”
4. Super Bowl XXVI, XXVII and XXVIII
The show anticipated the N.F.L. champions three years straight, in a accurately prophetic episode.
Predicted – 1992, 1993, 1994
Happened – 1992, 1993, 1994
Mr. Jean said, “all three were just lucky guesses.”
5. The pandemic!
Fast Spreading viruses are taking over the world. From the cities being quarantined to patients being kept in isolation.
Predicted – 1993
Happened – 2020