For better or worse, reality television has integrated itself into pop culture. Shows like "American Idol," "The Real World" and "Survivor" have topped the Neilson ratings for the last several years while homogenizing most programming. Dave Chappelle took shots at reality TV on the first season of his show, and nearly every other sketch comedy program has had skits mocking the trend. Comedy Central's "Drawn Together" is one of the few shows dedicated solely to parodying this so-called "reality."

The animated series draws on the differences and eccentricities of its diverse cast of stereotypical characters. The Disney-esque Princess Clara - a naA_ve member of a bigoted aristocracy - is constantly at ends with crime-fighting musician Foxxy Love. Spanky Ham, the porno pop-up mascot, bullies the outlandishly awkward Wooldoor. Video game hero Xandir has countless homoerotic adventures with Captain Hero. And while '60s sex symbol Toot struggles with her weight, Pokemon-type critter Ling Ling attempts to battle every monster in a 300-mile radius.

The collision of these far-reaching ends of the animated universe creates immense amounts of racial tension and social controversy, and it soon becomes evident that the writers of the show are as fearless as they are merciless. The housemates get away with blasphemy, racism and countless other offensive jokes. One of the objections that got "Family Guy" cancelled are accepted on "Drawn Together"; three cheers for cable programming.

The show manages to transfer well from its original broadcast to DVD. All of the jokes are uncensored, which sometimes kills the comedic punch, but the characters seldom go on totally explicit rages anyway. The frequency (or lack thereof) of this makes their on-and-off-again presence hysterical.

The audio commentary on several episodes and deleted scenes are virtually pointless, though not all of the extras are worthless. The "Censored/Uncensored Game," which allows viewers to guess whether a line was deemed appropriate for television, will make jaws drop, and there is also a karaoke sing-along that would prove a hilarious drunken activity.

"Drawn Together" is exactly what everyone has been waiting for: A chance to see our favorite reality characters literally shoot, stab and grope each other on a weekly basis. Others have tried to give fans this opportunity, but with the time and human restrictions, they couldn't quite bring everything we wanted to see together in such a compact, subversively funny package.

Ratings:

Show: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars

Picture/Sound: 3 out of 5 stars

Features: 3 and 1/2 out of 5 stars