The Simpsons season 36: Every prediction made so far

For a show that’s been running since the George H. W. Bush administration, The Simpsons still hasn’t lost its prophetic touch. From calling Donald Trump’s presidency to forecasting autocorrect fails, smartwatches, and even Disney’s acquisition of Fox, Springfield has quietly morphed into pop culture’s weird little crystal ball. The brilliance of it all? It doesn’t shout “THIS IS THE FUTURE!” It mutters it through side gags, signboards, and the occasional perfectly timed Lisa monologue.

Now in its 36th season, The Simpsons continues its uncanny tradition of slipping predictions into the background. Instead of blasting bold forecasts from the rooftops, it folds them into B-plots, surreal dream sequences, and blink-and-you-miss-it moments that reward eagle-eyed viewers. This season doesn’t feel like it’s trying to predict anything, and that’s exactly why it does.

Whether it’s Homer accidentally hacking democracy, Lisa turning the WNBA into a global brand, or the rise of AI in places it shouldn’t be, these predictions feel less like guesses and more like side effects of The Simpsons' warped-but-wise worldview. So grab a donut, and let’s dive into the strange, sharp, and suspiciously accurate visions of tomorrow that The Simpsons Season 36 has cooked up.

Every prediction made so far in The Simpsons season 36

1) AI writes a major TV finale

In “Bart’s Birthday,” the gang gathers to celebrate Bart’s latest trip around the sun, but it quickly pivots into meta territory. But the main event is that it is an AI-generated episode of The Simpsons, presented as a potential series finale. The machine-written plot features tearful goodbyes, perfect callbacks, and even a cameo by Disco Stu as a ghost. Critics in the episode call it “shockingly moving,” and the whole ordeal gets a red-carpet rollout. It’s a cheeky jab at the rise of generative AI in Hollywood and a sly nod to what might be waiting in our streaming queues someday.

2) Prestige TV gets replaced by two-minute hyper-reels

“Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” follows Lisa as she’s zapped into a time-bending TV dimension. She travels from black-and-white sitcoms to prestige dramas - and finally lands in a world where entertainment has been reduced to two-minute reels. Each “show” is a hyper-edited mix of explosions, life advice, and scream-pranks. Audiences give standing ovations to shows with titles like Murder Yoga and Shark Dad. It’s a satire, sure, but with real-world parallels in our shrinking attention spans and vertical-video takeover, the episode lands with the accuracy of a targeted algorithm.

3) Underground recipe-smuggling rings exist

In “Stew Lies,” Springfield is swept into chaos after a viral cooking show accidentally reveals the secret recipe to Luigi’s grandmother’s legendary stew. Enter Fat Tony and a full-on stew-based black market. There are stew spies, encrypted cookbooks, and shady chefs exchanging flavor profiles in alleyways. It’s absolutely absurd, but in a world where people stand in line for hours for secret-menu fast food or pay hundreds for exclusive sauce drops, the plot hits a strange cultural nerve. Who knew oregano could lead to organized crime?

4) Lisa becomes head of the WNBA

The finale episode, “Estranger Things,” features a flash-forward where Lisa is revealed as the overworked and under-rested head of the WNBA. Her office is sleek, her agenda is full, and she’s clearly running things - but still has time to check in on Bart, who’s stayed in Springfield and now works as a high school janitor. And Maggie? She’s a globe-trotting voice actress. This quiet peek into the future isn’t outlandish; it just feels like a continuation of Lisa’s ambitions. And with more women breaking into high-ranking roles in sports, it’s one of the more grounded predictions.

5) Adult survival tourism becomes a trend

In “The Man Who Flew Too Much,” Homer, Moe, Lenny, and Carl crash a private helicopter during a bowling league giveaway. Stranded in a snowy wilderness, they bicker, eat bark, and eventually bond - until they’re rescued and decide to sell the experience as an “extreme emotional reset” for professionals. Soon, Springfieldians are lining up to “accidentally” crash into the woods. It’s part Deliverance, part Etsy wellness retreat. As wild as it sounds, the commodification of suffering already exists in “adventure therapy” and “digital detox camps.” The Simpsons just put it in snowshoes.

6) Gen Z urban migration hits the arts scene

“Desperately Seeking Lisa” sees Lisa taking a sabbatical from Springfield Elementary after being awarded a junior fellowship at the Capital City Center for Contemporary Arts. There, she dives into performance poetry, avant-garde street installations, and minimalist jazz. The episode jabs at both small-town limitations and big-city pretension. But buried in the satire is a nod to a real social pattern: young creatives leaving quiet suburbs for louder, weirder urban spaces in search of meaning... or at least decent falafel. Springfield just wasn’t vibing anymore.

7) A Treehouse of Horror theme park?

During the annual Halloween special, Krusty announces plans for a “Treehouse of Horror” theme park: rides include The Haunted Flanders, Zombie Carpool Lane, and Kang & Kodos’ Mind Melter Coaster. It gets one scene before being shut down due to “irreversible mind trauma,” but not before we get a sweeping look at its surreal brilliance. The joke is brief but effective. With The Simpsons already embedded in Universal’s parks, and the growing appetite for horror-themed experiences, this idea doesn’t seem far-fetched, especially if the merch sells!

Season 36 of The Simpsons doesn’t try to loudly predict the future, and that’s exactly what makes its satire feel sneakily potent. From AI therapy to recipe-based crime rings, it plants seeds of possibility in stories that are first played for laughs, then remembered with a strange sense of déjà vu. These predictions, whether they land or not, reflect a culture already teetering on the edge of reality and parody.

The Simpsons has never claimed to be prophetic, but with every tech parody and social jab, it keeps quietly pointing at the future - sometimes with a smirk, sometimes with a groan, always with yellow fingers crossed. And if even one of these wild, donut-glazed predictions comes true, well... we’ll know where to look next time the world starts getting weird!