My Favorite Entertainment on Television — Day 11
I like a lot of books and movies, but I’m more of a television person
Dr. Tracy Davis asked on Day 11 what my favorite book or movie is. I couldn’t narrow this down so I went with television, the short form storytelling for movies. And, hey, the one I’m about to mention has actually had multiple movies and specials about it.
I’ve written about the show I’m about to talk about in this story before. I’ve even been a top writer on the subject of that show multiple times. If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve already guessed that that show is South Park.
I love how offensive, humorous, and on-point with its satire that it is. The characters aren’t supposed to be seen as heroes but as reflections of people in modern society. Eric Cartman is an epic character but not because he’s a good person. He’s definitely the opposite of a good person. He’s manipulative, narcissistic, and downright evil at times.
He once chopped up the parents of his rival and fed him the ground-up meat of their remains in chili. He has straight up tried to bring back some horrific moments in history. He is not a character to be looked up to but a cautionary tale.
The show has filtered and helped me process much of the ridiculous endless news cycle stories from the last 25 years or so in an entertaining half-hour format. There are so many different topics that the show has tackled and has been in the news for sometimes going too far with its controversial content and that just makes the show that much more desirable for me to watch.
It would almost be impossible for me not to say that it’s my favorite show on TV, hands down. I also like other animated adult cartoons, like Rick and Morty, Family Guy, and The Simpsons but none of these shows quite push the envelope as South Park has over the years.
Along with the stuff that I’ve mentioned about one of the main characters, the show has also had multiple episodes banned from viewing and removed from streaming services because of how controversial they were. The creators were told not to push the envelope that far and they tested their limits.
That is the sign of a true creative force and that’s what makes the show feel so fresh even in today’s society. The format of writing the show in a week and getting it on air also makes it feel relevant since a lot of the jokes are from the current week in progress when it airs. That’s what sets it apart from other shows and makes it an all-time great show regardless of one’s personal taste in entertainment.
The jokes even from the earlier seasons still stand the test of time and seem even more relevant some days when rewatched. So many classic episodes and seasons can be binged in one sitting and you feel like these episodes were only aired months ago instead of years. The animation is simple yet distinctive. The storytelling is thoughtful, precise, and crude at times.
The show is my favorite show for all of the reasons I mentioned and listed but I also think that it’s just a quality show all around no matter how one looks at it. Again, South Park is a well-written, offensive, and entertaining show that will never feel old and I’m here for it all day.
Day 10:
