South Park

Who'd have thought that what started out as a simple transgressive cartoon about foul-mouthed kids would become the cleverest, most incisive source of social commentary around?

South Park lives and dies by ability to skew topical issues within engaging character driven stories. And for the most part Parker & Stone posses both the satirical wit and sensibilities to pull this off, which, considering the insanely short production time, is nothing short of astonishing.

Throughout its 18+ year run, Parker and Stone have had their hands firmly on the cultural zeitgiest, which helps while they rape it. SP is a compendium of what has made us tick for two decades, teaching us about us while it insults us - which is really proof of a good friend who calls you out on your shit when you're a douche. It's this quality that has made it a part of the culture it addresses, instead of merely a spitballer in the back of the class- and therefore one of the best TV shows ever

At least for me, one of the few shows that didn't peak in the first 4 or 5 seasons. I would even go as far to say that Parker and Stone have gotten better at writing comedy since they started the show.

The often low-brow humor hides just how smart this show is. Equal parts commentary, satire, and sometimes just unbridled rage at certain aspects of society highlight South Park's unique place in television history.

Amazing how the most sophomoric show on television is also perhaps the wisest.

At times, Simpsons like levels of brilliant societal observation, at others, petty petulant childlike ignorance. Catch it on a good episode and you will love it, on a bad one you may never watch it again.

By far the funniest and most relevant social commentary on television. Thanks to that crazy 6 day production schedule, they are always on top of what's going on in the world as it's happening, and they always have a way to spin it in a hilarious fashion.

I have a lot of respect for Matt and Trey. They're clever, funny guys. That's why it's a little sad to see that as I've grown (a bit) in the almost 20 years this show has run, the dick and ass jokes in each episode have remained the same. Consider this: One day (if not already) you'll have a kid. And that kid will ask you: "Dada/Mama - is this 'The Wire'"? And you're going to have to look into those baby blues and answer: "No child. That's the whole fucking problem. Now get back to work."

A series that has a lot of amazing episodes where I was laughing my eyeballs out like "Vote or Die," but a lot of other episodes feel like they have less of a punch. Still though, I can appreciate a lot of the social commentary they offer in this show and how well they parody so many things in our culture in the most crudest way imaginable. Sometimes I feel like it's worth watching an episode just for the punchline at the end, such as the episode with the Japanese dolphin hunters.