South Park (Comedy Central, UPN)

Brought to you by gross-out impresarios Matt Stone and Trey Parker, SOUTH PARK is an animated show featuring the bizarre exploits of four foul-mouthed Colorado elementary school children. Cartman is obnoxious, racist, anti-Semitic, spoiled, and selfish; Stan is earnest and afraid of girls (especially Wendy Testaberger, whose mere presence provokes vomit); Kyle is Jewish and confused about his identity, which isn't helped by Cartman's constant insults; and Kenny (R.I.P.) is mysteriously killed off in almost every episode under dubious circumstances. Insanity (and inanity) prevails in the boys' small mountain town as it's constantly overcome by strange events involving celebrities, the supernatural, and the just plain weird. Cows are abducted by aliens, snowmen go on killing sprees, and a piece of excrement teaches kids about the spirit of Christmas.

Shocking, offensive and hilarious, South Park continues to undermine authority with its creative and insightful critiques of the media, politics, and celebrity hype. Occasionally, the show's point gets muddled in its outrageousness, but, for the most part, it's still as fresh as it was in its first few years.
 

South Park includes very mature content that's inappropriate for kids and young teens. Parents should be aware that the show requires a certain level of sophistication to understand its essential message. They may want to pre-screen the show and watch episodes with their teens to provoke further discussion on the issues being addressed.