South Park is one of the longest running animated shows in America with a huge fan base. The show just entered its thirteenth season, perhaps stronger than ever.

1. The show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, are fearless. They will attack anyone if they think he deserves a good laugh. Sometimes controversial and often attacked by the media and various “offended” personalities, South Park has done the unthinkable. From smearing holy religious figures to offending popular celebrities, the comedy duo believe it’s okay to make fun of everything or nothing is.

One example that some in the media were horrified by was when the show aired an episode in which Satan was throwing a Halloween party in Hell where people were expected to dress up. Satan sees someone in what appears to be a Steve Irwin costume with a slash through it. Satan comments on the costume saying that it’s “too soon”, to which the person replies that it’s not a costume, implying that it really is Steve Irwin at the party in hell. To which Satan replied that he should leave the party since it was only about costumes. Such a scene attracted many on an almost international scale, but Matt and Trey are unapologetic and have kept their jobs.

2. Fresh ideas. In an industry filled with reworked plotlines and boring sequels, the comedy show has made hundreds upon hundreds of episodes with undeniably original and creative plotlines. The episode where McCain and Obama’s election attempts were actually a ruse for an “Ocean’s Eleven”-style robbery, or where the South Park boys want to sue Lucas and Spielberg for raping Indiana Jones and the same time within that same episode Cartman was trying to stop an imaginary invasion by the Chinese as the “American Liberation Front”. It’s hard to imagine these kinds of episodes being handled by any TV series other than South Park. However, the episode “Look Out Indy” had earned South Park one of its highest ratings as the show’s most-watched premiere since 1999, despite perhaps offending millions at the same time.

In the end, the show stands as the sole champion fighting for the right to make fun of anything to provide hundreds of original comedic episodes that have earned them one of the largest fan bases on television. Matt Stone and Trey Parker can bravely and proudly shoulder the responsibility of millions of laughs, and they have helped bring about change that extends beyond the confines of their own show as they are constantly featured in the news and talk shows. policies with their bold messages, giving birth to a new group of people who proudly identify themselves as “South Park Republicans” or, more recently, “South Park Libertarians.” Matt and Trey have struck a vein with America that goes beyond mere comedy.