10 TV Shows That Ruined Other TV Shows

While all other shows on this list ruined other series simply by being a much better iteration of their central concept, that strategy proved a little too classy for Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who gave Family Guy both barrels in South Park's tenth season episode "Cartoon Wars Part II."

The episode centers around Cartman's attempts to get Family Guy cancelled, and by far its most memorable scene reveals that the show is in fact written by a tank full of manatees, who pick an "idea ball" containing a verb, noun, or pop-culture reference, which is then delivered to a joke-generating machine to create one of Family Guy's famed cutaway gags.

Even accepting that enjoying Family Guy and finding South Park's joke funny aren't mutually exclusive, this relentlessly memed scene did nevertheless draw real attention to Family Guy's flimsy, Mad Libs-inspired style of writing, while comparing it less favourably to South Park's smarter brand of satire.

Though Family Guy certainly remained popular in the years that followed, it's tellingly also around the time that Cartoon Wars Part II aired that the show's best, most golden years came to an end.

Whether you're a die-hard South Park fan or have only seen the offending scene in isolation on social media, it's tough to watch even a single Family Guy cutaway now without thinking of those damn manatees.