Political Satire inthe United States

Political Satire and USA

The most serious type of expression that currently exists in cultures all over the world is Political Satire. It is a kind of expression that basically comprises sarcasm, ridicule and Irony. The main focus or purpose of Political satire is to expose the weaknesses in a particular political system. A positive political change is the main goal or objective of Political Satire. Today Political satire can be seen in all kinds of media, whether it be television, newspapers and other such mediums.

In the United States of America, most of the political satirists have criticized the political affairs and political scenarios that exist in the country. Political Satire has been there in USA since the American War of Independence.  The form of Political satire that has really been influential in USA is the Television shows. The television shows can be further divided into two different forms namely normal satirical late night shows and different animated programs.

The Famous Satirical Shows of USA

There are various satirical shows that have been entertaining the US population for ages. Among these shows some of the popular late night shows are

  • Saturday Night Live: The most popular show that is still on air even today is the Saturday night live. The show was first broadcasted back in the year 1975 and the channel which ran the show was the famous NBC. The hosts of the show are Will Ferell, John Belushi and Eddie Murphy. The show is considered the pioneer of political satire in USA and is known for its impersonation based comedy.
  • Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Another satirical show which is very famous in USA is that of The Tonight Show. The show is being hosted by Jay Leno. The show ran from 1992 till 2009. The show again started in the year 2010. The show was aired from NBC studios.
  • Late Show with David Letterman: The host of the show is David Letterman. The show was first aired back in the year 1993. The production of the show was done by Latterman’s production company. The show was run by CBS Television Studios.
  • The Simpsons: The Simpsons is basically an animated show that has been created by Matt Groening. The show was created for Fox Broadcasting Company. The show involves satirical description of the life pertaining to working class. The show has won the Guiness record as well and is highly watched in the American Society.
  • South Park:It is basically an animated cartoon that has been developed by Matt Stine and Trey Parker. “Satire” is the key element of the show and this satire can be related to several different topics.

These were some of the shows that are known for their Political Satire in USA. Some of these shows are still running and some are not aired anymore. However the ones that are not aired have been replaced by new shows that also contain political Satire.
