Forget The Simpsons: 4 Futurama Episodes That Predicted the Future Too Accurately

Futurama not only entertains with its witty humor and charismatic characters, but also surprises with its ability to predict our reality.

Since its debut in 1999, the show has introduced many futuristic technologies and events that later became reality.

1. The Series Has Landed – Season 1 Episode 2

The team sets off for Luna Park. As they approach, the team admires the scenery and make plans for the evening – checking out the rides and rescuing the local aliens.

Thanks to Bender's skills and Leela's leadership, they solve any problems that arise, and Amy suggests asking her parents for money to pay for new rides, which leads to an argument among the team about using her family's wealth.

In this episode, Amy was briefly shown playing virtual skeeball. This was the closest the creators have come to showing what the virtual reality headsets will look like and how to use them.

2. Raging Bender – Season 2 Episode 8

Planet Express faces the threat of Brain Slugs that have assimilated Hermes. After watching a movie about monster slugs, the crew embarks on a dangerous journey to save their friend. They must unravel the mystery of assimilation, defeat the villains, and prevent disaster.

In this episode we can see the concept of interactive cinema. Inside the series, a soap opera with a robot was shown, and viewers could choose one of the buttons that would affect the outcome of events.

This genre is actively flourishing in our time, especially in video games such as Detroit: Become Human and Until Dawn, but also on the small screen – for example, the Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch.

3. I Dated a Robot – Season 3 Episode 15

Fry, inspired by The Scary Door, decides to make his dreams come true. He destroys the planet, travels through universes, rides a dinosaur and dreams of a date with Lucy Liu. Using virtual reality, Fry creates a robot that looks like Lucy and enjoys the date, while the rest of the team warns him about the dangers of dating robots.

Sound familiar? Of course, it's similar to today, when in some countries you can marry a robot and no one will (almost) judge you.

4. Cold Warriors – Season 6 Episode 24

The characters recall how Fry and his father returned from an ice-fishing trip with a cold that had been gone for over 500 years. Suddenly, a quarantine shield appears over Planet Express, and everyone but Bender gets sick. However, the robot accidentally infects everyone else, and 99% of the city catches a cold.

Many viewers drew parallels between this episode and the real-life events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In Futurama, the quarantine shield and the spread of the common cold serve as a comedic backdrop to explore topics of isolation and virus control.