WWE had to completely drop a 'whodunit' storyline in which a character was killed in a car bombing after wrestler Chris Benoit's murder-suicide in 2007.

My point is that maybe they thought they could 'shake things up' in a better way by NOT doing what a lot of long-tenured shows do (bring in new 'best friend' characters).

Thinking about it, wouldn't pairing Stan with a new group of friends be a 'jump the shark' moment waiting to happen? I mean, to create All-New Friends for Stan's Exciting New Adventures would just lead to fans demanding a return to the original group of 4 friends and lead casual viewers to think that Trey & Matt had…

I could see that being a B-plot later this season.

Apparently that feature on '60 Minutes' hinted that Stan will continue to be frustrated by the fact his parents are still together even though they shouldn't be. So it won't exactly be a return to the status quo.

Has there ever been a show that so clearly articulated the frustrations of its creators and commented on the creative process itself quite like South Park has? It's really not too far removed from having Trey & Matt just talk directly into the camera.