Interesting hypothesis, but the show has been evolving as the creators age. For example, Randy has been a much more prominent character in recent seasons. They still poke fun at current events, celebrities, and issues though. Recent seasons tend to have more continuity across episodes, too.
I think continuity is more a result of streaming services being more prominent. That seems to be a media-wide trend. Even kids shows are getting more of it. When you didn’t have to rely on the audience running in at a specific time every week to not be lost, you have more flexibility to not resort to the status quo at the end of each episode.
Interesting hypothesis, but the show has been evolving as the creators age. For example, Randy has been a much more prominent character in recent seasons. They still poke fun at current events, celebrities, and issues though. Recent seasons tend to have more continuity across episodes, too.
I think continuity is more a result of streaming services being more prominent. That seems to be a media-wide trend. Even kids shows are getting more of it. When you didn’t have to rely on the audience running in at a specific time every week to not be lost, you have more flexibility to not resort to the status quo at the end of each episode.
I think part of this too is with Matt-Trey having kids they want to write more for adult characters as they get older