My top ten favorite television shows of all time #10

For some reason recently, Ive been getting a weird backlash from people when I say that I watch television. I was confused. Befuddled even. I always have been curious as to why there seemingly is this hesitancy towards the medium. They aren't willing to watch a long and well written series in the privacy of their own home, eating their own home cooked meals, and cuddling up with a loved one, or watching it with a few good friends as they politely discuss it afterwards. But they're willing to pay ten bucks to see a two hour or less film, with overpriced greasy nasty food, and teenagers texting and bullshitting with their friends as they talk throughout the entire film treating the theatre like they're in their parents house. I don't understand this myself. I guess we the television watchers are the uncultured ones. Now granted I understand that most peoples arguments basically are that the majority of television people watch is horrible and painful to watch. Reality shows, and police procedurals dominate the ratings even though they constantly repeat the same themes and content over and over again adnauseum. I say to that, "Most films are crap too." Tell me five great films that have come out this year so far, and Ill call you a liar. I can name five really good tv shows that are still on the air. (The Wire, Lost, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, and Battlestar Galactica) Television shows to me are nothing more than extended films, that you have to wait a week or more to continue on with the story. That's all. Especially with HBO shows with cursing and displaying graphic depictions of sex and violence. They are just extended films. R-Rated films. Now who would argue that isn't cool?

I've compiled this list not as the best shows to ever grace the air. As good as I think All in the Family or I Love Lucy is, they're past my era. They have aged considerably since the time that they were on, and I just feel that there are shows that have surpassed what they were attempting to do in the realm of television. That's just one mans opinion however. Pretty much these shows will be from 1990 on. The Simpsons and Married With Children have come the closest to cracking the top ten while starting earlier than 1990, but the full whole of their work isn't enough to crack it. So here we now. Comments are appreciated.

10. South Park-The most potent, accurate, and best political satire on television today. (Unless you count the O'Reilly Factor, Colbert Report, or the Daily Show political satire) South Park through eleven seasons and counting have morphed from a raunchy cartoon that probably was the catalyst for Adult Swim, to a cartoon that probably comments on current events and trends better than anything that's on the air today. From Guitar Hero, to child molestation within the Catholic Church, Scientology, the fraud that was Jonathen Edwards, to movie spoofs, South Park has made everyone in the world a target for their satire. No movie, no political subject, religion, creed, race, or any one person in general is safe (Except for Robert Smith of course. The greatest man to ever live. Our savior...)

While honoring this show of course, you have to mention quite possibly the most evil character that ever graced television. Eric Cartman. There's a brilliant sequence for fans of the show that happens during season ten that pretty much tells the whole story. A Bart Simpson like character breaks into Fox Studios to attempt to destroy Family Guy much like Cartman is also attempting to do. While they are sitting in the waiting room, Bart says hi to Cartman, and tells him that hes a bad kid. Cartman asks what did you do that was bad? Bart responds that he cut the head off of a statue once. Cartman promptly responds, "I made a kid eat his own parents." Bart responds that that's pretty fucked up. Yes Cartman did make a kid eat his own parents, because earlier in an episode the kid in question sold his pubes to Cartman for ten bucks. Cartman responded the only way he knew how to. By topping him. Cartman is an evil human being, but we really don't care, because for some reason we like him. There's no reason whatsoever to like him but we do. Because of the genius of the writing, we like this character and sometimes even root for him. Mostly just to see how he will top himself. For example he dressed up as Hitler to lead a protest against Jews for believing that Passion of the Christ was antisemitic. That's not the worst thing he's ever done on the show. Trust me.

The really great thing about this show, besides it being amazingly funny, is that every season they have improved. Whether it be the animation, the subject matter, or the writing itself, the show slowly but surely has progressed for the better. After eleven seasons, you'd figure they run out of stuff to say, but because of the quick way that the animation is done, they can do a show relevant to a political or current event, that happened that same week and make it hilarious. The best part is that this show holds up after repeat viewings unlike many shows that occupy the air, sometimes even better the second time that you watch it.

Needless to say I hope this show goes on for years, and realistically it very well can. Trey Parker and Matt Stone are extremely smart and very funny, and they know when to tone it down unlike other South Park clones. (Drawn Together)