14 Surprising TV Fan Theories That Will Definitely Change The Way You Think About Your Favorite Shows

    Prepare to have your mind blown!

    Salimah McCullough
    by Salimah McCullough

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We recently shared a Reddit thread started by u/AwkwardJewler that was stockpiled with fascinating fan theories people had about their favorite TV shows and movies.

    FX / Via giphy.com

    WARNING: Slight spoilers ahead!!!!

    Since that original post got people talking in the comments, we decided to share even more. So, here are some of people's favorite TV show and movie fan theories:

    Agatha from WandaVision
    Disney+ / Via giphy.com

    Note: Not all of these submissions are from Reddit. The ones that are from Reddit are from the threads by u/AwkwardJewler, u/pizza813, and u/MJ_05.

    1. Barney from How I Met Your Mother isn't actually as much of a womanizer as Ted says he is.

    CBS

    "Ted's an unreliable narrator and could've presented this image of Barney to his kids either because he was jealous of Barney's relationship with Robin or because he wants Barney to look unsuitable for her. That way, Ted's kids see Ted and Robin as soulmates."

    —u/hehehaha24

    2. Avatar: The Last Airbender takes place on a much smaller planet with lower gravity than we think.

    Katana and Sokka finging Aang in the ice in "Avatar: The Last Airbender"
    Nickelodeon

    "This is why all characters can jump double/triple their height and fall multiple stories without grievous injuries."

    —u/Milemiel

    3. All of NCIS is being remembered and recalled by Gibbs in the future.

    Gibbs from "NCIS"
    CBS

    "NCIS has such terrible 'technical explanations' because Gibbs’ memory is recalling the show’s stories, and he is 'old school' and really bad with computers. Abby and McGee are perfectly qualified/capable in the technical field, but all Gibbs remembers from their conversations is a mashup of technical jargon."

    —u/YellAtMeLleiand

    4. Toby is, in fact, the Scranton strangler in The Office.

    Toby looking at Michael in "The Office"
    NBC

    "The strangler stops when he goes to Costa Rica and continues when he gets back. Also, Toby claims he 'knows he convicted the wrong guy' when he is on the jury for the Scranton strangler case and tries to go apologize to him in jail, and the guy tries to strangle him."

    —u/briannafab

    5. Walter White from Breaking Bad didn't actually die.

    Walter White on the floor after being shot in "Breaking Bad"
    AMC

    "From a medical perspective, the location of his gunshot wound is actually highly survivable. We only see him collapse in the lab, and we also see police responding in the background. The response time in which he will receive medical care is incredibly quick and greatly increases his chances of surviving the gunshot wound. If this theory is true, then we have already seen Better Call Saul building up towards something. There are plenty of Breaking Bad Easter eggs, and also every season includes a short clip that shows James’ life after Walt. We may see Walter face trial in a Better Call Saul Easter egg, where Walt has to face justice for his crimes with the little time he has left to live."

    —Anonymous

    6. Meredith Grey from Grey's Anatomy actually has Alzheimer's and the show is her past.

    Meredith Grey lying in a hospital bed in Season 9 of "Grey's Anatomy"
    ABC

    "Her kids found her journals and are reading them in the future. Just like Ellis Grey."

    —u/Junebug1515

    7. Kevin from Brooklyn Nine-Nine is Shawn from The Good Place.

    Kevin from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
    Fox / NBC

    "He's decided to go to Earth to meet Holt and fall in love. It explains his 'enthusiasm' during the Halloween heists as well."

    —u/bseicmkoyn

    8. Courage from Courage the Cowardly Dog actually just takes place in a regular home with an ordinary couple and Courage is just scared of what's unknown.

    Courage the dog screaming at a mask that Eustace is wearing in "Courage the Cowardly Dog"
    Cartoon Network

    "He perceives it much differently than actual reality. It's also why their house is in the 'middle of nowhere' — that house is all Courage knows, so the outside world basically doesn't exist to him. I've been rewatching the show lately, and this theory holds up surprisingly well.

    —u/Lissy_Wolfe

    9. Each episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia starts with a date and time because they're all testifying against each other in court.

    The beginning cards to "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" showing the time, date, and location
    FX

    —u/BigDirtii

    10. Aria from Pretty Little Liars was actually A.

    Aria dressed up as A in Season 7 of "Pretty Little Liars"
    Freeform

    "In the first episode, Aria comes back from doing a year of school overseas, and the mysterious messages start soon after. There are SO many subtle hints throughout the show, one of them being that she has a dissociative identity. I honestly think the writers had planned for it to happen but scrapped it when it became a popular theory."

    —u/katcloud

    11. Dale from King of the Hill knew about Nancy and John Redcorn but pretended not to.

    Side by side of Dale talking and Nancy and John Redcorn sitting on a couch watching TV in "King of the Hill"
    Fox

    "Both to keep his home life stable and because he knew Joseph would be raised as his son rather than Redcorn's."

    —u/Bowserdude

    12. Supernatural is a continuation of the film Frailty, except that it changes the audience's viewpoint.

    Matthew McConaughey as Fenton in "Frailty" and Jensen Ackles as Dean in "Supernatural"
    Lions Gate Films/The WB/ The CW

    "In Frailty, the audience is given the perspective of the sheriff, while Supernatural is from the brothers’ perspective."

    —u/hankbaumbach

    13. The 10th doctor in Doctor Who was actually reciting advanced Gallifreyan physics knowledge, but the TARDIS couldn't translate it in a way that made sense to humans.

    The Tenth Doctor from "Doctor Who"
    BBC

    "In Season 2, Episode 3, when the Doctor is yelling, 'physics. physics, physics, physicsssssss!'"

    —u/RabbitsOnAChalkboard

    14. Finally, Betty's boyfriend, Glen, is actually the trash bag killer in Riverdale.

    Glen talking to Betty in "Riverdale"
    The CW

    “Plain and simple. They never show him around other colleagues and he’s always in a poorly lit office — he is clearly TBK. He probably didn’t even run a blood test on Polly and just put her in a refrigerator then flushed the sample down the toilet. He’s trying to make Betty look guilty and he’s clearly up to something.”

    —u/Prince_SKyle

    What are some fan theories you will always believe no matter what? Feel free to let us know in the comments below!

    Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.