People love to speculate about their favorite television shows, books, and movies. And, because I write books, I’m painfully aware that oftentimes people who read and love them are looking far more deeply than I did when creating them.
Which is to say, people come up with theories and see foreshadowing where none was intended. I’ll admit, I’m guilty of doing the same. But it keeps us happy, it keeps us invested, and it keeps us talking, so what’s the harm?
None, really, and to be honest ... these 8 conspiracy theories about popular shows are so out there that maybe–just maybe–they could be true.
8. Gilligan’s Island is actually hell
Photo Credit: CBSFor those of us who watched Lost, this isn’t such a big stretch, but it goes further than just island as hell: People think that each of the characters represent one of the 7 deadly sins. And the red-wearing Gilligan? Satan, of course!
- Mr. Howell = Greed
- Mrs. Howell = Sloth
- Ginger = Lust
- Mary Ann = Envy
- The Professor = Pride
- Skipper = Wrath and Gluttony
7. Breaking Bad is a Walking Dead prequel
Photo Credit: AMCStay with me here, because this one is actually pretty convincing. Basically, the theory is that Walter White’s blue crystal meth is responsible for the apocalypse in that it makes users die and then rise from the dead. Here’s the supporting evidence:
- In S1 of TWD, Glenn drives a red Dodge Challenger like the one Walter White returns on Breaking Bad … to a car dealer named Glenn.
- In S2 of TWD, Daryl digs through his brother Merle’s stash trying to find something to bring down a fever, and at the bottom of the bag? Yep. Blue crystal meth.
- Before the apocalypse, Merle was a drug dealer and bought his product from a “janky little white guy” who was easily excitable. Sound like Jesse Pinkman to anyone else?
- They’re both on AMC!
6. Saved by the Bell is just Zac Morris’s fantasy world
Photo Credit: NBCWhen Zack Morris first appeared on Good Morning, Miss Bliss (which later became the middle school iteration of Saved by the Bell), he was a dork who never got away with anything and didn’t have much luck with the ladies.
Then, poof–high school happened, and all of a sudden he’s cool, the ladies are all after him, and he pulls the wool over poor Mr. Belding’s eyes with regular ease. This nostalgic children's show suddenly feels a lot less cheery ...
5. Jessica Fletcher was the real killer on Murder, She Wrote
Photo Credit: NBC UniversalThis theory seems pretty out there at first … but is it really? I mean, maybe she’s just run out of ideas and needs new ones? Or maybe she created the sleuth persona in order to cover up her crimes? Either way, it would be pretty clever.
- She lives in a small town with a population of less than 4,000 people, but 268 people were murdered there in just over a decade. Suspicious!
- The extraordinarily high number of murders would make Cabot Cove the murder capital of the world.
- Her sweet British demeanor is the perfect cover, right?
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4. The Flintstones actually takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape
Photo Credit: Hanna-Barbera ProductionsThis theory hold that the world of the Jetsons and the Flintstones exist concurrently–what exists on the ground below Orbit City is the bombed out remains of Earth. Consider the following, along with the fact that both shows were developed during the Cold War:
- They use primitive tools (and animals) to replicate modern technology–if they had never seen modern technology, why would they need to do that? How would they even know to?
- The Jetsons could be the people with money, while the poor people make do with the obliterated Earth below.
- The Flintstones were disfigured by fallout and that’s why they’re square(ish).
3. The Count treats Sesame Street like an all-you-can-eat children buffet
Photo Credit: Sesame WorkshopThe Count makes no secret about the fact that he’s a vampire, and according to those who subscribe to this theory, he is the reason the children on Sesame Street never appear for more than one episode.
Not only that, but the other puppets and adults are obviously covering up for him–I mean, how else could he have gotten away with it for so long?
2. The U.S. government put the kibosh on Firefly
Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox TelevisionThis theory isn't really about the show itself, but rather about why Firefly came to such a quick and abrupt end. With its incredibly loyal fan base and good critical reception, why else would Fox cancel such an amazing show? Fox claims it was nothing more than bad ratings, but …
- The show has a strong anti-government sentiment, as Fillion’s character (and others) fought against the establishment.
- The Bush administration was making a case at the time for the invasion of Iraq and didn’t want people thinking about rebellion.
Of course, this type of government censorship is (thankfully) highly unlikely. But Firefly's many outspoken fans find themselves baffled by the cancellation even 15 years later.
1. The Fresh Prince was dead the whole time
Photo Credit: NBCMaybe these people have watched The Sixth Sense just one too many times … or maybe they’re onto something. What if Will died in the fight, and it was God who drove the “rare” cab to the Banks’ mansion in Will’s “kingdom” of heaven???
[Via: Mental Floss]
This story was first published on did you know?
Promotional still from "Murder She Wrote" via NBC Universal
