What I'd Like to See in Animated TV in 2008

The "Imaginationland" trilogy of episodes on South Park earned Comedy Central remarkable ratings, recording the most-watched (total viewers) and highest-rated (Men 18-24) season since 1998, as well as the highest-rated season since 2000 among people aged 18-49, the demographic that makes advertisers swoon. I'm not surprised. The "Imaginationland" trilogy featured a plot about a hot topic, terrorism, and a subplot as vulgar as anything on South Park, a bet between Cartman and Kyle that involved Cartman's dry testicles. Not only did I tune in eagerly every Wednesday night for three weeks to see what would happen next, I loved spotting iconic characters in the background of Imaginationland, including the Kool-Aid pitcher and Toad from Nintendo's Mario video games. The council of nine, another South Park parody of The Lord of the Rings, was another brilliant stroke, including a wide range of characters from Aslan to Popeye.

I'm not saying the whole season should become an animated 24, but a few storylines that continue from episode to episode would be nice, considering that Matt Parker and Trey Stone could use the time to tell a really good, in-depth story.