As mentioned, Matt and Trey create each episode of South Park over the course of just six days. Yes, that is insane as it sounds; so far, South Park is the only TV show in history to impose such a self-sacrificial deadline. You can see the toll this takes in the awesome documentary on the show 6 Days to Air. Heres the trailer. If you havent seen it and have access to a US Netflix account, its on there and you absolutely must watch it: http://youtu.be/KmCau_LZMDU It takes an average of six to eight months to make an episode of the Simpsons, albeit because the animation is a hundred times more sophisticated; which means that any reference to society or pop culture made will be at least that old. But producing an entire episode in 6 days means that Matt and Trey can talk about things that happened 7 days ago. Instead of commenting on the zeitgeist, Matt and Trey are able to contribute to it you really cant underestimate the gravitas that brings to the show. The Simpsons simply cannot compete, but then again, no other sitcom can either.