“South Park” pulls no punches for celebrities, and Wednesday night’s mid-season premiere was no exception.

The creators decided to compensate for lost time while continuing to alienate most of the celebrity world by doing a roundup of this summer’s celebrity ghosts.

The episode follows Kyle’s adopted Canadian brother, Ike, who starts seeing the ghosts of this summer’s dead celebrities, including David Carradine, Billy Mays and “South Park’s” old punching bag Michael Jackson.

Dead celebrities weren’t the only victims of the season premiere. Both “Poltergeist’s” eccentric clairvoyant Tangina Barrons and the “Ghost Hunter’s” crew made hilarious appearances, showing respect for a classic horror movie and discrediting poorly constructed reality shows.

But to the episode’s fault, the deaths of these celebrities were out of the public’s mind, so the references came off as stretched to remain topical. While the writing was funny and up to par with “South Park’s” normally off-color blunt humor, the episode would have benefited from airing two months earlier.

“South Park’s” mid-season premieres are key for setting the tone for the next portion of episodes, with this episode leaving a positive outlook for this season, as long as the writers stay topical.

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