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

Last Week with John Oliver

Although it may seem like a stretch to suggest Last Week with John Oliver draws inspiration from South Park, it’s really a shorter leap than you think. South Park, even with all its scatological and low-brow humor, has taken on some pretty heavy stuff over the years, and served it to its audience with a wry wit that they find palatable.

When Last Week burst on the scene, there was a collective eye roll at yet another late night host dishing on current events and trying to ingratiate himself to viewers. John Oliver defied every single one of our late night expectations and burned down the house when it came to reporting the news.

Sometimes he yells at us, sometimes he’s painfully poignant, but if it weren’t for South Park and their straight-forward delivery system, America wouldn’t be ready for John Oliver. He implements sarcasm, swear words, and is often preoccupied with the silly and mundane. He’s also unafraid to take on more heady stuff, and you never really have to wonder where John Oliver stands on anything he’s discussing on the show.

In a world where so many of us don’t regularly watch the news or participate with academic sources, Last Week with John Oliver (and South Park, for that matter) clues us in to the most important stories of the minute. It’s also back-dooring critical thinking, as we sort out what’s real, what’s fake, and what deserves our collective outrage.

Best of: the segments on “International Woman’s Day” and “The State of Journalism”