But every once in a while, a show shocks the masses and blossoms into a money making, ratings garnering juggernaut.
However, even shows that are tremendously successful oftentimes barely last longer than 10 years in primetime slots, with 15 years typically being the absolute max.
Animated shows have even less of a chance to survive for more than a decade. Yet, somehow, Matt Groening and the folks at Fox have defied all odds with The Simpsons, which is the longest-running scripted primetime series in the United States in its 29th (yes, you read that correctly) season.
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and countless other Springfield residents were first thrust into American culture all the way back in 1989 and are miraculously still going strong.
Through the years, we’ve seen several The Simpsons episodes that have referenced tragic, real life events. And, at times, the show has even predicted the future, foreshadowing unthinkable things that ultimately came true.
Check out 10 things The Simpsons predicted in the gallery below!
Disney Buying 20th Century Fox
Earlier this month, The Walt Disney Company announced plans to acquire 21st Century Fox for in upward of $51 billion in stock. The Simpsons fans were quick to point out the show foreshadowed this transaction during a 1998 episode entitled, ‘When You Dish Upon a Star.’
Donald Trump Becoming President
In the 2000 episode ‘Bart to the Future’, The Simpsons depicted Lisa Simpson taking over as president from Donald Trump in the year 2030 after he tanked the economy. Obviously, the writers were off by about 14 years, but it’s an impressive prediction nonetheless.
Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Performance
During 2012’s ‘Lisa Goes Gaga’ The Simpsons foreshadowed Lady Gaga’s epic Super Bowl halftime performance, which in real life took place five years later during Super Bowl 51 in Houston.
Voting Machine Problems
In the 2008 episode ‘Treehouse of Horror XIX’ the electronic voting machine Homer Simpson uses to cast his ballot for Barack Obama inexplicably changes it to John McCain.
In 2012, the exact same thing happened to a Pennsylvania woman, who’s vote was changed from the incumbent President Obama to challenger, Mitt Romney.
The Apple Watch
In the 1995 episode ‘Lisa’s Wedding’ Lisa Simpson’s future fiance sends her a message using the voice recognition technology his futuristic watch features. This was an entire two decades before the Apple Watch came out.
Facetime
Someone at Apple must be a gigantic fan of The Simpsons. In the same 1995 episode, Lisa and Marge chat via video phone, which the company brought to life with ‘Facetime’.
Autocorrect Madness
In the 1994 episode ‘Lisa On Ice’ Dolph the bully attempts to write the message ‘Beat Up Martin’ on his Apple Newton, which actually existed in real life prior to the iPhone.
Instead, however, his device autocorrects what he wrote to “Eat up Martha.”
Cooking Grease Theft
In the 1998 episode ‘Lard Of The Dance’ Homer Simpson realizes he can steal and ultimately resell cooking grease at large profits.
In 2013, the New York Post published a fascinating article about similar acts becoming a trend in New York City.
NSA Spying
Back in 2007, The Simpsons Movie predicted the rise in government sanctioned eavesdropping when the Simpson family gets busted after the NSA listens in on some of Marge’s phone calls.
Roy Horn’s Tiger Incident
During the 1993 episode ‘$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) entertainers Gunter and Ernst, who were obviously based on Las Vegas act Siegfried and Roy, are attacked by one of their beloved beasts.
It took 10 years, but this came true when Roy was critically injured by one of the duo’s white tigers during a show.
For more The Simpsons predictions, check out the epic video below!
