'The Simpsons' showrunner says new season will explain how show predicts the future

The Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman has promised that an episode in the new season will delve into why the show is seemingly so adept at predicting the future.

Selman, who helms the animated phenomenon alongside long-term exec Al Jean, told Deadline that the 34th season will feature a "crazy conceptual episode" which explains the uncanny connection between The Simpsons and the future.

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Simpsons fans have often claimed that the show's writers are able to predict the future, pointing to the show's mentions of President Trump years before his election, the Disney-Fox merger and even America's triumph in Olympic curling.

Selman said that's something the show will tackle head-on when the 34th season airs later this year.

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He said: "We have another crazy conceptual episode that explains how the Simpsons know the future.

"It’s a conceptual episode with lots of crazy stuff in it, but it does an explanation of how the Simpsons can predict the future.

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Selman said he is "very excited" about the upcoming season of the animated phenomenon, adding that he and the writers "can't just rest on your laurels" with a show this popular.

"You have to be pushing yourself and challenging yourself and making sure every episode is distinct and emotional and visual and compelling and scary and cinematic," he said.

Selman revealed that the 34th season will feature two of the traditional Halloween special Treehouse of Horror episodes, which have become an annual trademark of the show.

The first will be the usual three-part anthology episode — including a spin on anime Death Note — while the other will be a parody of Stephen King's It and its screen adaptations.

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Having aired more than 700 episodes since it first hit screens in 1989, The Simpsons is firmly established as the longest-running sitcom and the longest-running animated show on American TV.

The first 32 seasons of The Simpsons are available to stream in the UK via Disney+.

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