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Life & Arts

Cartman and gang return to TV lineup

The TV Guide

Seth Mintz 

One is one of the most controversial and humorous shows on TV. The other is arguably the best drama on TV. South Park (at 9 p.m. Wednesdays on Comedy Central) makes its return for its 10th season and The Shield ends its fifth season in dramatic fashion. 

These are two of the smartest and best-written shows on TV. With The Shield done for another season, South Park comes back to make us all laugh again.

Becoming 10-years-old is a big deal for South Park. But this is not the only news South Park has generated this week. Last season, South Park took on Scientology and its biggest supporter Tom Cruise. The episode was abruptly pulled from reruns this week amid rumors that Cruise, whose movie Mission: Impossible 3 is financed by the same company that owns Comedy Central, threatened to not promote his new film if the episode aired again.

Except for that odd event, South Park returns with big expectations. All viewers' favorite characters are back (Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Jimmy and Kenny among others), including Chef (at least for now because Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, has reportedly quit in light of the Scientology episode). South Park has consistently been one of the smartest, dirtiest and most solid shows on TV during the last decade.

On the other end of the spectrum is The Shield (FX), which tells the story of cops in Los Angeles. The Shield just wrapped its finest season to date and will be sorely missed for the next 10 months (the final season starts in January).

This season of The Shield had all of the plot lines that brewed for the first four seasons come together with mostly dangerous outcomes. Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) and his strike team were at risk of being prosecuted for corruption all season long. To make matters worse, Danny (Catherine Dent), Vic's mistress, had Vic's baby, and Vic's ex-wife Corrin (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) revealed some of his secrets to the police.

The biggest reason The Shield had its best season was the addition of Forrest Whitaker, who beautifully portrayed Tom Kavanaugh. Whitaker deserves an Emmy for his performance and will hopefully play a big role next year in what will be the last season.

Whitaker gave The Shield what it was missing: A true rival for Vic and his strike team. The stories this season became richer. There were no boring and pointless side plots and each episode was stronger than any in the previous seasons (which can now be viewed on Fridays at 9 p.m. on Spike TV). Through its intense storytelling and character development, The Shield arguably became the best show on TV.

While these two shows couldn't be more different, South Park and The Shield show why people love watching television. Through irreverent humor and jokes that are as dirty as they are smart, South Park has continued to be one of the best comedies on TV. The Shield has not only become the best cop drama on television, last season cemented it as a truly elite show. 

Enjoy these series, because not only are they among the best of the best, they also won't be around much longer.

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