50 Times The Simpsons Saw It Coming Before the World Did

In the film, Marge and the kids go on the run, only to discover the NSA is listening in on every phone call in the country—cartoonishly portrayed in a massive underground bunker staffed by headset-wearing drones. At the time, it seemed like a Bond-villain-level parody.

But in 2013, Edward Snowden’s leaks confirmed the NSA’s widespread data collection on American citizens. Phone calls, emails, and web activity were all under scrutiny. The film’s wild dystopia suddenly didn’t feel so wild. Springfield’s vision of state overreach wasn’t just funny—it was foreshadowing with a yellow hue.