15 pieces of pop culture that may have been influenced by South Park

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Bob’s Burgers

Yet another classic animated contribution, Bob’s Burgers is a little more subtle than South Park and traffics in the relatability of the frustrations of life. It’s not to say that Bob’s Burgers isn’t crude or obscene, because it is , at times. But it’s a shift away from the bodily functions and unironic offensiveness of  other animated series of the same ilk. Bob’s is smarter than your average cartoon, although it takes a little more savviness from the viewer to suss it out.

The show tells the story of Bob Belcher,  a third-generation restaurateur who runs Bob’s Burgers with his wife and children. Bob is proud of his product, and isn’t afraid to offer a variety of creative alternatives to the run-of-the-mill hamburger. Bob’s wife, Linda, supports him,  but is growing weary of the grind of small business ownership. The restaurant is constantly in danger of going out of business, yet despite the challenges, Bob tries to keep them afloat.

While the show is mostly a story about family, it’s also a story about individualism and carving out an identity that is yours alone. It doesn’t trade cheap humor for laughs, and the family bond is the heart of the show. Much like the friendships that form among the boys in South Park, audiences grew to count on the interactions among the characters by which to judge their experience with the content. Without South Park to drive this model, it would be hard to invest in the relationships of cartoon characters.

Best of: “The Belchies” (season 2, episode 1) and “Bob Fires The Kids” (season 3, episode 3)