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

The Office

The Office could be considered the milder, less aggressive first cousin to a show like South Park, but without the animated series, viewers might not know what to make of this brand of humor. With its deadpan, cringe-inducing delivery, The Office routinely takes on controversial issues, and peddles them through the lens of a heartland-centered point of view.

Michael Scott, main character and main joke-butt, offers as many opportunities to laugh at him, as he does to laugh with him. This is the South Park comedic aesthetic, through and through. Like many of the characters on SP, Michael is a vehicle through which we can witness the absurd, inappropriate, and the inane, and see our own cultural behaviors reflected back on to us. Michael Scott, like the kids in South Park, is a great example of what not to do.

The Office is also pretty fond of breaking the fourth wall. Although South Park never really fully came around to the mockumentary genre, there was a fair amount of addressing the audience. Both programs take on hot button items, but the ridiculous way in which each show handles it, is a modern type of satire that South Park helped to usher in. The Office laid bare the questionable moments in American corporate culture, while simultaneously allowing us an opportunity to mock something so familiar to many of us. South Park did the same thing for small towns, and then, after so many seasons, for America.

Best of: “Diversity Day” (season 1, episode 2) and “The Dundies” (season 2, episode 1)