The "Expansion of E-Commerce into All Aspects of Life" (Episode: "You Only Move Twice", 1997)

The Simpsons has earned quite the reputation for seemingly predicting the future. It’s actually a bit of a meme at this point, with fans pointing out how many things in the real world appear to have been "predicted" by the show, sometimes years in advance. While some of these predictions are purely coincidental or the result of broad satire, others do seem oddly prescient.

The "Expansion of E-Commerce into All Aspects of Life" (Episode: "You Only Move Twice", 1997)

• What happened: The episode features online shopping that extends beyond traditional goods into services and more, predicting a major expansion of e-commerce.
• Reality: By the 2010s, e-commerce had expanded far beyond just products like clothes and gadgets. Services like Uber, TaskRabbit, and even grocery delivery services like Instacart became common, and the way people purchased everything—clothing, food, services—shifted dramatically.