When it debuted in the late 1990s, Comedy Central’s animated hit, South Park, was mainly a “scare-the-horses” addition to the network’s lineup, relying on foul language (from the mouths of its seven-year-old stars, no less) and ever-grosser gags to attract the young male viewers so coveted by advertisers. But nine seasons on, South Park is a bona fide cultural phenomenon that has risen above its own raunch to become an up-to-the-minute social commentary on some of the most controversial issues of the day. Of course, much of the attraction is still in the show’s envelope-pushing antics, but wouldn’t we all be a bit tired of fart jokes by now if they weren’t folded into a fairly sophisticated satire?