Ever since its debut back in 1997, South Park has been one of the most talked-about shows on television. Created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the series is set in the titular Colorado mountain town primarily focusing on fourth graders Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny and all the politically incorrect misadventures that they embark on. South Park has always had a relentless approach to satire holding nothing sacred covering hot button topics including politics, religion, and current events. Any hot-button topic you can think of, South Park has likely put their spin on it.
While South Park is one of the most popular adult animated comedies, there are plenty of other great animated sitcoms out there, many of which have also attracted large fanbases similar to the Comedy Central hit. While fans anxiously await the next season of South Park, these politically incorrect comedies might help satisfy their hunger for more laughs that are on-brand with Stone and Parker's raunchy hit.
The Boondocks
Aaron McGruder's anime-inspired The Boondocks was a huge hit for its first three seasons, based on the comic strip created by McGruder, the series revolved around the Freeman family, young activist Huey Freeman, 8-year-old rebel Riley Freeman, and their legal guardian Grandad, as they navigate issues of race, politics, and celebrity in the predominately white Illinois suburb of Woodcrest. There's also the obnoxiously racist and vile Uncle Ruckus, a self-hating black man who believes he was actually born white, but also just so happens to be Grandad's best friend.
Much like Parker and Stone did with South Park, McGruder tackled current issues all through a black perspective as opposed to the more libertarian lens of South Park. McGruder's work on the first three seasons relished in politically incorrect humor and using outlandish storylines to make a point on the current social climate. The show also featured quite the voice-cast including Oscar-Winner Regina King as the voices of both Huey and Riley and the late John Witherspoon as Grandad along with plenty of familiar celebrity guest voices including Busta Rhymes, Samuel L. Jackson, and Snoop Dogg. A reboot is currently in the works for HBO Max with McGruder back on board with a planned release for later this year, so it won't be long until fans get to reconnect with the Freeman family.
Beavis and Butt-Head
Mike Judge is one of the most brilliant modern satirists working today and has delivered more than just a few hit films and shows including King Of The Hill, Office Space, Idiocracy, and Silicon Valley. Though it's his crude animated comedy Beavis and Butt-Head that is perhaps his most seminal work. One would be hard-pressed to find anybody who hasn't at least heard of the 90s comedy following two dimwitted teenagers who love nothing else but heavy-metal, watching TV, and just running around and being idiots. Much like many of the characters in South Park, the titular duo in the animated comedy are absolutely despicable human beings. They have no sense of ethics or compassion, but that's one of the reasons why we love them so much.
Beavis and Butt-Head takes joy in making mundane situations feel hysterical and zany, its unapologetic nature and crude and dated animation only add to the experience of the show. Judge's breakout series lets audiences laugh at the simple stupidity of things and even when the characters are doing awful things, the audience can't help but still love them in the end.
It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Continuing the trend of hilarious shows about horrible people, the long-running It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is easily one of the most popular. Like a twisted version of Cheers, the series follows 5 narcissistic friends who are the owners of the Philadelphia-based Irish pub Paddy's Pub as they try to conjure up success for themselves by any means possible. With a cast that includes Charlie Day, Glen Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, and the legend himself Danny DeVito, the series is still going strong having barely missed a beat even after 15 seasons.
Similar to the relentlessness of South Park, there is nothing that is out of reach for It's Always Sunny. Lathered with offensive humor, increasingly weird situations, and eccentric characters, there is a reason why the series has been as big of a hit as it is. So for South Park fans looking for a non-animated comedy to keep them busy while waiting for the new season of the show, It's Always Sunny is the perfect choice.
Archer
Set in the midst of espionage and action, one might expect Archer to be more action-focused with comedy taking a backseat, and they'd be wrong. The series centers around super-spy Sterling Archer who works for his domineering mother in his quest to save the world from evil. James Bond, Archer is not. Instead, the character more resembles South Park's Randy Marsh except instead of a father and a weed farmer, he's a secret agent. The title character is typically more interested in getting drunk and getting laid than he is in saving the world.
Archer got to a point where it decided to ditch the spy backdrop for seasons at a time and shake up the formula. From direct parodies of Miami Vice, film noir, Magnum P.I., swashbuckling adventures, campy space movies, and so much more. Archer also clearly isn't afraid to joke about some risque topics, from the use of Pam, Archer's codename being 'Duchess,' and plenty of instances of dark humor.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
South Park isn't the only comedy on television to push the envelope, but if one were to argue about another show pushing it even further, Aqua Teen Hunger Force would likely be the pick. The series centers around three anthropomorphic fast-food items. There's the intelligent box of french fries Frylock, the manipulative and Cartman-esque Master Shake, and the naive and warmhearted slab of ground beef Meatwad. The trio is constantly stirring up trouble and typically dragging along their human neighbor Carl into the chaos.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force is a series that is constantly unpredictable and switching up the formula episode by episode. Outside the 8-bit Mooninites, Dr. Weird, and Steve, most of the show's supporting cast is revolving with many of their appearances only being limited to one episode. With absolutely wild episodes like "Hand Banana" and "Broodwich," this series never dials down on its surreal nature and is constantly stirring the pot.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is arguably what really kicked off this age of adult animation. The seemingly never-ending animated sitcom has been on the air for over 30 years with 33 seasons, making it the longest-running sitcom in the history of television. The series is set in the American town of Springfield and follows the lovable, albeit dysfunctional, Simpsons family, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
The early seasons of the show are arguably some of the greatest pieces of television to ever air including classics such as "Marge Vs. The Monorail," "Homer's Enemy," and "Flaming Moe's." Not to be forgotten is the series' traditional "Treehouse Of Horror" Halloween specials, which each year parodies popular films and shows in the world of horror and sci-fi. While the show has started to wear thin over the past two decades, the 90s era of the series is still must-watch television. Much like South Park, the series isn't afraid to push the buttons on topics such as politics and religion but compared to the former, it plays a bit safer.
Rick and Morty
Since its premiere on Adult Swim back in 2013, Rick and Morty has become one of the most popular shows on television, animated or not. The series, which started out as a loose parody of Back To The Future, follows the interdimensional and often violent misadventures of genius scientist Rick Sanchez and his hapless grandson Morty. From turning yourself into a pickle, changing the universe midway through a season, and even dealing with topics of death and nihilism, the originality of Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland's hit is clearly one of the keys to its success.
Much like South Park, the show has fun with plenty of outlandish scenarios and plays around with temporarily killing off characters and constantly changing continuity. Roiland has proven himself to be quite the talented voice-actor in the same league as Parker and Stone, voicing both of the title characters and many of the quirky creatures that they encounter along the way.