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10 Best And Worst Fan Theories From TV’s Most Popular Shows

Telisa Carter

February 13, 2017

Richard Cartwright / ©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection

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Many movies and television shows have thrown fans for a loop with shocking twists and turns that no one saw coming. Along the way, some things, both big and small, have raised questions and many of them haven’t been answered, leaving it up to the fans to create their own theories and conclusions. All major shows and films have been subjected to fan theories that range from completely to ridiculous to actually mind-blowing, so here are 10 of the best and worst fan theories from some of TV’s biggest series:

10. Best: The Big Bang Theory

There have been quite a few fan theories to come out over The Big Bang Theory’s many seasons, and many of them are completely ludicrous, including one that suggest Bernadette is a robot built by Howard. There are others, however, that make more sense, and one of the most popular is that the color of Sheldon’s shirt indicates his mood for the episode or at that time. Through all of the seasons, the wardrobe of all the main characters has remained fairly simple, and Sheldon usually dons solid colored T-Shirts usually in reference to a superhero. The theory suggest that green means courage, yellow is fear, blue is hope, and red is anger. This is a fairly simplistic theory and does work out for many episodes, but not for all.

Cliff Lipson / © CBS / Courtesy Everett Collection

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9. Worst: Full House

For those who grew up watching the iconic ’90s series Full House, one of its most popular fan theories is completely earth shattering. The theory is simple: Danny Tanner is not the biological father of his three daughters, and what makes it worse is that the theory states the real father is Uncle Joey. Those who support this say that the chance of the dark haired and dark eyed Danny Tanner having three blonde children with Pam who was blonde is highly unlikely, but it is much more likely for two blonde people — Joey and Pam. They also argue that it makes it much more likely that Joey would give up so much of his life to help raise his best friend’s kids if they were actually his. Of course, this theory destroys the innocent and family oriented nature of the show, and others argue Full House was never one to strive for plot consistency and probably never cared that it was unlikely that Pam and Danny would have three blonde children.

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8. Best: Stranger Things

One of 2016’s biggest new shows was Netflix’s Stranger Things, and while it is very new, its popularity led to many fans trying to figure out what is actually going on in the show. One of the strongest theories to take hold is that fan favorite character Eleven is actually the monster which terrorizes the Upside-Down. Passionate fans explained that Eleven only first sees the monster/Demogorgon when she is in the sensory deprivation tank and makes the creature up in her mind. Not only that, she then goes to state, “I am the monster,” and when she finally destroys Demogorgon in the classroom, she also disappears along with it.

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7. Worst: Friends

Despite being a light-hearted and beloved sitcom, Friends has been the victim of some seriously dark fan theories, and also just some strange ones. Some of the darkest include that all six of the friends are actually in a mental asylum for some trauma they had experienced and the show is just what they imagine their lives to be like. Another suggests that the whole thing is just made up in Phoebe’s head who actually stalks them and makes up her own world where they are her best friends. Another popular yet unlikely one is that in the episode where Monica is babysitting Ross’s son Ben and he bumps his head he foreshadows she will marry Chandler. In the season three episode, “The One with the Giant Poking Device,” Monica accidentally bumps Ben’s head and gets worried Ross will find out and get angry with her, especially when Ben starts saying, “Monica bang.” Now, many have proposed that he is actually saying, “Monica Bing,” and that actually a lot of season three moments were suggesting Chandler and Monica’s future relationship.

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6. Best: Gilmore Girls

After the huge revival of Gilmore Girls, all of the hype and excitement from the series all came right back, and fans learned more and more about the beloved series that originally ran from 2000-2007. During a Fan Festival in the fall of 2016, a fan theory was brought up, and while it may not be as intricate as some others, it is one of the best because it was actually confirmed to be true. The theory suggests that the secondary character of Caesar who fans know as the hilarious cook at Luke’s Diner actually went to Chilton with Rory. The actor of Caesar, Aris Alvarado, can be seen in the background of season one’s “Rory’s Dance” and at the fan festival Alvarado confirmed, “That was Caesar. It’s funny because the internet just discovered that. I’ve been waiting, I never wanted to say anything so I could see who was going to find me one day! Three years later, you see me working at Luke’s. so I’m like 20 years old, 21 at the time.” Despite the confirmation, many fans aren’t buying it for many reasons, but mostly because Chilton was so small, Rory and Caesar would have known or at least recognized each other. Additionally, Chilton was a high-end school, so it is unlikely Caesar’s family would pay for that education and he would simply remain in Stars Hollow as a diner cook.

Source: Bustle

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5. Worst: One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill was an amazing series, and while some things didn’t exactly make sense sometimes, fans were willing to overlook the discrepancies because of how great the show was overall. There haven’t been many fan theories about One Tree Hill, but one popular one has taken hold rather recently, and while entertaining, it is not likely. The theory that went viral in 2016 suggested that Chris Keller was actually yet another son of Dan Scott’s. It was pointed out that Keller was extremely cocky, confident and manipulative and when Chris met Dan, Dan said that Chris reminded him of himself and even joked that maybe he knew Chris’s mother. There is always a possibility Dan Scott had more kids running around, but it isn’t likely one of them was Chris Keller.

Source: WB

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4. Best: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Many of Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s most passionate fans aren’t fond of the fan theories that have been proposed for the series, but there is one that at least could make sense. A Buffy fan theory that continuously pops up suggests that Willow actually killed all of the slayers in order to make more slayers. In the last episode of the series, Willow casts a spell that awakens “Slayer Potential” in potential slayers all over the world, which in turn saves the world. It is known that slayers are created when another one dies, which is seen in season one when Buffy is momentarily killed and brought back. So, the theory states that in the last episode Willow casts a spell that briefly kills every single slayer and then quickly brings them back in order to create many more slayers.

Source: The TV Critic.org

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3. Best: This Is Us

This Is Us may be a new series but it has already gained a large and loyal fan following. Since learning that one of the show’s most beloved characters, Jack, is actually dead in the present, fans were hard at work trying to figure out how he died. The theories ranged from suggesting he was killed by his best friend Miguel who goes on to marry Jack’s widow Rebecca, but another one became much more popular. It wasn’t the “best” because, well, Jack is dead and the theory is heartbreaking, but it was one of the best because it is so intriguing. According to the theory, Jack died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. Support for the theory stems from Jack’s children’s fear and their serious issues with planes and flying, especially Kevin and Kate, while Kevin is seen at one point destroying all of the model airplanes he once loved. Although many jumped at the theory, others pointed out that the glimpses that have been seen of Jack’s funeral showed that he passed away while the Big Three were still teens, which would be well before 2001. The theory held up for quite some time, before a house fire was suggest and before long fans came to finally learn in the “Super Bowl Sunday” episode that Jack died after a faulty slowcooker switch started a fire that destroyed the Pearson home, and in his attempt to salvage some important belongings and the family dog, Jack inhaled too much smoke and his heart gave out at the hospital.

(Photo by: Vivian Zink/NBC)

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2. Worst: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was one of TV’s funniest sitcoms and still makes fans laugh out loud with Will Smith’s penchant for humor, but the series’ most popular fan theory isn’t funny at all. The theory states that Will is actually dead for the entirety of the series and the show is actually his journey through the afterlife. It adds that Will actually died after that beating he references in the theme song and the cab ride is his journey to heaven, and that heaven is a big house filled with family and friends in a life Will never had. It also goes on to state that his parents are seen so rarely in the show because those are the few times they are visiting his grave.

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1. Best: Grey’s Anatomy

Since 2005, Grey’s Anatomy has been one of the most passionately watched shows on TV, and with all of its dramatic and shocking twists and turns, there hasn’t been a lot of room for theories. One, however, has taken hold and while some fans find it interesting, others hate it, but without a doubt it could happen. Over the show’s almost 13 seasons, there has been disbelief that so many tragedies can occur to one hospital and one group of people, and now the theory suggests that it is improbable because it never happened. It states that the series’ main character Meredith Grey actually has Alzheimer’s just like her mother Ellis, and points to the first episode where Meredith’s voice-over narration proved to be a story she was telling her mother whose Alzeheimer’s had taken its toll. The theory alleges that this could point to the fact that Meredith’s subsequent voiceovers are stories she is telling her own three children in the future, but her own mind has been altered by dementia and she is remembering a version of things that never happened from her glory days in the hospital. For example, the theory states Meredith says that George didn’t leave for the army and then die from getting hit by a bus, but rather failed his intern exam and was never heard from again. Similarly, the theory states that Izzie was just an “unstable intern” who was fired after stealing a heart for Denny, but instead Meredith’s Alzheimer’s affected mind is turning their stories into heroic tales.

Telisa Carter

Telisa enjoys learning and writing about all things entertainment in the world of Hollywood. When she isn't catching up on her favorite TV shows, she likes to read, and obsess over all things football.