{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 16 | episode = 15 | director = [[Mike B. Anderson]] | writer = [[Matt Selman]] | production = GABF12 | airdate = {{Start date|2005|04|17}} | guests = * [[John DiMaggio]] as [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]] * [[Amy Poehler]] as Jenda * [[Marcia Wallace]] as [[Edna Krabappel]] | blackboard = | couch_gag = Several toy-like forms of transportation come into the living room, only to change ''[[Transformers]]''-like into the family. | commentary = [[Al Jean]]<br />[[Matt Selman]]<br />[[Tom Gammill]]<br />[[Max Pross]]<br />[[Mike Reiss]]<br />[[John DiMaggio]]<br />[[Mike B. Anderson]]<br />[[Lauren MacMullan]]<br />[[Jon Vitti]] | prev = [[The Seven-Beer Snitch]] | next = [[Don't Fear the Roofer]] }} "'''Future-Drama'''" is the fifteenth episode of the [[The Simpsons season 16|sixteenth season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]''. The 350th episode overall, it originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on April 17, 2005.<ref name="officialsite">{{Cite web |title=Future-Drama |url=http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-16_episode-15 |access-date=2009-06-11 |website=The Simpsons.com |archive-date=June 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614072704/http://www.thesimpsons.com/#/recaps/season-16_episode-15 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the episode, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] stumble into [[Professor Frink]]'s basement, and he gives them a look into their future as teenagers getting ready for their high school graduation.
[[Matt Selman]] wrote the episode, and [[Mike B. Anderson]] served as director. [[Amy Poehler]] and [[John DiMaggio]] guest-starred as the characters of Jenda and [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]], respectively. The episode received mixed reviews.
==Plot== In the midst of one of their arguments, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] fall into [[Professor Frink]]'s basement. Frink uses an [[astrology]]-based machine to [[Fortune-telling|show the kids their future]] as teenagers.
Eight years in the future (2013), Bart and Lisa are getting ready for their [[Secondary education in the United States#High school|high school]] [[Academic graduation by country#United States of America|graduation]] and [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] and [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] have separated after Homer blew the family savings on an [[Underwater habitat|undersea home]]. Lisa is graduating two years early and has a scholarship to [[Yale University]], while dating a muscular [[Milhouse van Houten|Milhouse]] and Bart dates a skateboarder named Jenda. He also shows them a picture of Lisa at age 12 (2009) after she was saved by Milhouse from a fire, which she later learns that he started. After the prom, Jenda wants to have sex with Bart, but Bart has no plans for the future and wants Jenda to marry him and live an aimless life, so she breaks up with him.
Bart unsuccessfully seeks advice from Homer on dating. He then shows Lisa a [[hologram]] of the prom, and tells her love can be painful; she agrees, noting she broke up with Milhouse and he had an [[The Incredible Hulk|Incredible Hulk]]-style meltdown. Lisa suggests that to get Jenda back, he must show her he can provide for her. Bart decides to take Lisa's advice and gets a job at the [[Kwik-E-Mart]]. While delivering groceries to Mr. Burns, he rescues him from a robbery by [[Snake Jailbird]]. As a reward, Burns gives Lisa's scholarship to Bart. He accepts it, seeing it as a way to get Jenda back. He then tells Lisa about the scholarship causing present and future Lisa to both get angry at Bart. Bart reconciles with Jenda, and now has a good future. That night, Jenda again wants to have sex with Bart, but then he goes into Professor Frink's basement and sees Lisa's bleak future with Milhouse on Frink's machine. Jenda is furious at Bart (she notes she never had any problems sparking romance with Todd Flanders), and gives him an ultimatum: leave and they are finished. Bart does head out and saves Lisa from accepting Milhouse's dismal proposal, then tells his sister he is giving her scholarship back and will find a woman who loves him for himself. Professor Frink then tells present Bart he will get one at age 83, then die one minute later, and his brain would be buried in a pauper's grave.
Meanwhile, Marge has dumped [[Krusty the Clown|Krusty]] and reunites with Homer in the underwater home. During the credits, Bart is shown to find the sequence boring, and instead watches [[Cletus Spuckler]]'s future as the Vice President of the United States on his way to a funeral for the [[Sultan of Brunei]].
==Production== [[File:Matt Selman by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|right|Matt Selman was inspired to write the episode after asking himself what if people saw Lisa and Bart as teenagers.]]
The episode was written by [[Matt Selman]], his thirteenth writing credit for ''[[The Simpsons]]''. The episode was the third season sixteen episode that [[Mike B. Anderson]] directed, following "[[Fat Man and Little Boy (The Simpsons)|Fat Man and Little Boy]]" and "[[Pranksta Rap]]". It was the third future-themed episode of ''The Simpsons'', following the [[The Simpsons season 6|season six]] episode "[[Lisa's Wedding]]" and the [[The Simpsons season 7|season eleven]] episode "[[Bart to the Future]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halpern |first=Paul |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4yXhRxHApuwC&q=%22bart+to+the+future%22 |title=What's Science Ever Done For Us?: What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-470-11460-5 |page=146}}</ref><ref name="Childs">{{Cite news |last=Childs |first=Hayden |date=2011-12-12 |title=Holidays Of Future Passed |work=[[The A.V. Club]] |url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/holidays-of-future-passed,66387/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103132619/http://www.avclub.com/articles/holidays-of-future-passed,66387/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 3, 2012 |access-date=2011-12-12}}</ref>
Even though this is the 350th episode broadcast on FOX, the 350th in production order is "[[The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star]]" (which was temporarily shelved following Pope John Paul II's death, and was originally supposed to air after "[[Don't Fear the Roofer]]").
In an interview, Selman stated that the story of the episode originated when he asked himself what if people saw Bart and Lisa grow up as "ugly teenagers".<ref name="amc">{{Cite web|first=Clayton|last=Neuman|date=November 3, 2008|url=http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2008/11/simpsons-scribe.php|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120707110851/http://blogs.amctv.com/movie-blog/2008/11/simpsons-scribe.php|url-status=dead|title=Simpsons Scribe Matt Selman Shares His Mad Men Inspiration - AMC Blog - AMC|archive-date=2012-07-07|access-date=2021-10-07|publisher=[[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]]}}</ref>
[[Amy Poehler]] guest starred as Jenda.<ref>{{cite web|first=Dan|last=Snierson|date=September 11, 2013|title=Amy Poehler to guest on 'The Simpsons'|url=https://ew.com/article/2013/09/11/simpsons-amy-poehler/|website=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=November 16, 2024|archive-date=April 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412113505/https://ew.com/article/2013/09/11/simpsons-amy-poehler/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[John DiMaggio]] reprised his role as [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]] from the television series ''[[Futurama]]'', created by ''Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Bradford|last=Evans|date=July 22, 2013|title='The Simpsons' Will Host a 'Futurama' Crossover|url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/the-simpsons-will-host-a-futurama-crossover.html|website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|access-date=November 16, 2024|archive-date=January 28, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128124742/https://www.vulture.com/2013/07/the-simpsons-will-host-a-futurama-crossover.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Cultural references== The episode's title is a parody of the TV series ''[[Futurama]]'', which was also created by ''Simpsons'' creator [[Matt Groening]].<ref name="futurama">{{Cite web|url=http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/episodes/future-drama|title=Future-Drama|website=Simpsons Crazy|access-date=2010-08-21|archive-date=2010-08-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827130132/http://www.simpsoncrazy.com/episodes/future-drama|url-status=dead}}</ref> The character [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]] makes a cameo appearance when Homer and Bart pass through a [[Quantum tunneling|quantum tunnel]]; voice actor [[John DiMaggio]] reprised his role voicing Bender.<ref name="futurama" /> The song playing while Homer and Bart cruise through the former's hovercar is "[[I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)|I.G.Y.]]" by [[Donald Fagen]]. The songs "[[Take On Me]]" by [[a-ha]], "[[Bizarre Love Triangle]]" by [[New Order (band)|New Order]], "[[Incense and Peppermints (song)|Incense and Peppermints]]" by [[Strawberry Alarm Clock]], and "[[True (Spandau Ballet song)|True]]" by [[Spandau Ballet]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3996|title=True by Spandau Ballet|website=www.songfacts.com|access-date=June 11, 2009|archive-date=June 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614062023/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3996|url-status=live}}</ref> are played during Bart and Lisa's prom. "[[Sea of Love (Phil Phillips song)|Sea of Love]]" by [[Phil Phillips]] plays while Homer and Marge kiss in the former's aquatic home. "Lenny's Super Pet" bears a strong resemblance to [[Superman]]'s pet dog, [[Krypto the Superdog (TV series)|Krypto the Superdog]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Future-Drama Trivia and Quotes|url=http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/future-drama/episode/383730/trivia.html|website=[[TV.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919173554/http://www.tv.com/the-simpsons/future-drama/episode/383730/trivia.html |archive-date=2010-09-19 }}</ref>
==Reception== ===Viewing figures=== In its original American broadcast, "Future-Drama" garnered roughly 8.3 million viewers. The show finished third in its original timeslot.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 18, 2005|title=Ratings: Future-Drama |url=http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2005/04/ratings-future-drama |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924194608/http://www.simpsonschannel.com/2005/04/ratings-future-drama/ |archive-date=September 24, 2009 |publisher=Simpsons Channel}}</ref>
===Critical response=== Hayden Childs of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' wrote in 2011 that the episode was "full of sweetness and funny", but he thought "[[Holidays of Future Passed]]" was better.<ref name="Childs" />
Colin Jacobson of ''DVD Movie Guide'' felt time travel episodes were "spotty" and thought the episode was "the weakest show in a while."<ref>{{cite web|first=Colin|last=Jacobson|date=December 11, 2013|title=The Simpsons: The Complete Sixteenth Season [Blu-Ray] (2004)|url=http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonsixteen.shtml|website=DVD Movie Guide|access-date=November 16, 2024|archive-date=September 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927063408/http://www.dvdmg.com/simpsonsseasonsixteen.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
On ''Four Finger Discount'', Guy Davis and Brendan Dando thought it was a "by the numbers" episode where nothing stood out. They liked the ending when Bart makes the sacrifice for Lisa.<ref>{{cite podcast|first1=Guy|last1=Davis|first2=Brendan|last2=Dando|title=Future-Drama (S16E15)|work=Four Finger Discount (Simpsons Podcast)|date=November 3, 2022|url=https://fourfingerdiscount.podbean.com/e/future-drama-simpsons-podcast/|time=12:00|access-date=November 16, 2024|archive-date=September 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240906191256/https://fourfingerdiscount.podbean.com/e/future-drama-simpsons-podcast/|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Awards and nominations=== The episode was also nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite newspaper|date=July 15, 2005|title=Emmy nominees|newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]]|page=60}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_16#Future-Drama|"Future-Drama"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090526110451/http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/1615.htm "Future-Drama"] at The Simpsons.com *{{Snpp capsule|GABF12}} *{{IMDb episode|id=0701099}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|16}}
[[Category:The Simpsons season 16 episodes]] [[Category:2005 American television episodes]] [[Category:Alternate history animated television episodes]] [[Category:Science fiction comedy]] [[Category:Television episodes about proms]] [[Category:Television episodes written by Matt Selman]] [[Category:Television episodes set in 2013]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Mike B. Anderson]]