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Best TV Show Ever: South Park

Matt Stone and Trey Parker have been making us laugh our asses off for 15 years now. It's time to give them the respect they deserve.

Gregg By Gregg Katzman March 14, 2012
  

Who honestly thought the dirty and controversial pilot clipped together from cutout animation back in 1997 would not only still be around to this day, but also spin out into one of the biggest animated shows ever? "Cartman Gets An Anal Probe" not only found its way into Cartman's ass, but it also probed deep into our hearts. The crude and vulgar style of humor from the four kids in South Park, Colorado won our affection, and we couldn't wait for the next episode. It's just too bad critics didn't feel the same, claiming the show was immature and terrible. Fifteen abusrdly hilarious seasons later and we're now left anxiously awaiting to see what masterminds Trey Parker and Matt Stone will deliver next as Season sixteen kicks off tonight. South Park, you're a huge part of our lives and you've made us laugh for so many years. You're easily one of the best shows ever and more than deserving of this praise.

UGOers, why do you love South Park? Share your reasons in the comments section below!

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South Park
Credit: Comedy Central

Randy

Stan's dad is a character that has gone from the occasional funny scene to being one of the best parts of the show on a weekly basis. From drunken throw downs at tee ball to having a gut busting bro-down, Randy Marsh is pure awesomeness. What makes him so great is likely his sheer stupidity. He's a man you'd love to hang out with, but never want as your father. A dad should often be giving his son advice, but it seems like it's often the other way around with Stan. Randy, I respect you, bro.

South Park
Credit: Comedy Central

The Songs

Tootin' tootin' to tada choo choo wow! Getting gay with kids is here!

Matt and Trey conquered Broadway, but you don't need to shell out cash and travel to New York to enjoy their music. You can groove to the sensual sounds of Butters singing a tune as he takes a wee or laugh your ass off as Kanye comes to accept who he truly is. There have been dozens of songs to enjoy from almost everyone in the cast, but nothing will ever top Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo's squishy tunes.

 

South Park
Credit: Comedy Central

The Hustle

It really is impressive how South Park is one of the best shows on TV yet each episode takes only around a week to complete. Matt, Trey and company work their asses off to come up with great ideas, flesh the script out, record, and make sure the animation is good to go in the amount of time it may take other shows to just check with their legal team about content. While we impatiently wait for each new episode, they're anxiously working overtime to make sure we love what airs every Wednesday night. Credit where it's due, and they certainly deserve it with that work ethic.

South Park
Credit: Comedy Central

Consistently Great

From the pilot "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" to the last episode of Season Fifteen, "The Poor Kid," South Park has managed to remain sharp and hilarious consistently through the years. Of course some episodes miss more than they hit, but that's to be expected considering we've seen 223 episodes now. They've covered everything we can think of, even including the thought that "Hey, didn't The Simpsons already do that?" You'd think they'd run out of juice by now, but hell no. Matt and Trey have kept me laughing hysterically through the years and I have full faith Season Sixteen will be a blast, too. It'll be tough to top "City Sushi," though... that one had me in tears.

UGOers, what's your favorite and worst South Park episode? Speak your mind in the comments section.

South Park
Credit: Comedy Central

The Characters

Chef! Starvin' Marvin! Mister Slave! The Catata Fish! They don't even scratch the surface of the massive and insanely creative roster we've seen over the years in South Park, Colorado. Many characters have come and gone (Pip!), but each has left a lasting impression. What makes them so special is that on the surface most are nothing more than stereotypes, (the overly gay male, the child with ADHD, the starving African child) but each episode is so well crafted that an entire story can revolve around the individual. Who would have thought that Tuong Lu Kim wasn't really Chinese, but instead the alternate personality of Dr. William Janus. That's some classic era M Night Shyamalan twist material right there.

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