The List: #11 South Park

#11
Number of Seasons (To Date): 12
Years Active: 1997 - Present
Network: Comedy Central

What makes this show great? It blends crude animation, crass humor, intelligent humor and smart messages. South Park follows four young boys in living in South Park, Colorado, a town that's had more than its fair share of bizarre events occur. However, part of the reason for all of these events is the sheer stupidity of the adult population of the town.

South Park began as a way to tell stories about kids who act and speak like children, meaning that they curse without abandon and behave without logic (in some situations). And yet, it seems that the kids are more collected and logical than their parents, who tend to believe everything they hear on the news (child abductions! aghh!) and try to shield their kids from scary subjects in the some of the most fucked up ways imaginable (the sex talk Cartman got from his mom was pretty messed up).

As the series evolved, the creators started working topical issues into the stories; due to the method of animation, Trey Parker and Matt Stone can churn out episodes in less than a week. This allows for Parker and Stone to comment on current events in ways no other series can. In addition to current events, various social issues are also satirized, and it seems like the pair can take nearly any social norm or issue and find a way to point out the absurdities involved.

Over the years, South Park has taken a lot of abuse from various moralists (many of whom later get parodied on the show) for its scatological humor. It's true that there are plenty of "childish" jokes, but they are used to contrast the intelligent humor; nearly every kid I went to middle school with (except me) watched this show because of the bathroom humor and were treated to intelligence without realizing it.

Up next: #10...