Top 10 Of The Year- #9- South Park

Ok, so I’m breaking the rules with this one a little bit. This is a top 10 list for the 2007-2008 TV season. South Park tends to air in short 8 episode blocks. During the 2007-2008 season, South Park showed the tail half of season 11 and the first half of season 12. I’m gonna clump these together.

With a show that has gone on into it’s 12th season, you’re always gonna be able to say “Eh, it’s been better.” And, in all honesty, South Park has had better seasons. But, for the sheer brilliance of 4 episodes (Not to mention a bunch of normally good episodes), South Park makes this list. Those four episodes? This spring’s “Canada on Strike” and this past fall’s absolutely genius “Imaginationland” trilogy.

“Canada on Strike”, a clear parody of the writer’s strike, was hilarious on so many levels. The simple idea of Canada going on strike from the rest of the world because they don’t get enough respect, and the rest of the world not really caring were both great. But the episode evolved past the basic laughs from the concept and had excellent writing and an absolutely amazing ending. I would probably rank it as one of the best they’ve ever done. I may have just found it funnier because of how overly obsessed I am with TV and was with the strike, but it hit every note perfectly.

Even without “Canada on Strike”, though, South Park would have made this list, for the utter genius of the “Imaginationland” trilogy. Not only were the episodes absolutely hilarious (Although the first one was clearly the strongest), but the ideas raised by the episode were equally as genius. Terrorists taking control of our imaginations and then our imaginations running wild. Seriously, those guys are brilliant. Plus, who doesn’t love an appearance by ManBearPig?

But on top of those four brilliant episodes, you also had amazing moments like Cartman hiding cats from the DEA and Kyle trying to point out the similarities, Bono being revealed to be a giant turd, “How do I reeeeech the keeeeds”, Mr(s). Garrison’s penis running wild, and Britney Spears missing a head. That’s not to say that there haven’t been misfires (I’m looking at you, completely unfunny and actually quite disgusting episode with Cartman and Kyle getting AIDS), but overall this has been a really good year for South Park. Not the best they’ve ever had, but a damn good one. And so, even 12 seasons in, South Park still makes my top 10.