All in the family was certainly not animated, but it was much like the Simpsons and South Park, in that it was widely popular and broke new ground, forcing the viewers out of their comfort zones. All in the Family employed the same formula of mixing vulgarity and morals, perhaps the vulgarity is designed to draw the viewer's conscious attention away from the lesson they are learning. But an undeniable effect is that it draws attention, and no publicity is bad publicity. It is evident that animation is not necessary to achieve a sharp, entertaining show. First, animation has a reputation as being a children's medium.
Animation also offers unlimited creative bounds.
There is no set budget, or even laws of physics to dictate what the Simpsons can or can not do. Where most shows are confined to the same set, animated shows are free to go anywhere in the world or even out of this world. The lack of real life's bounds also allows animated shows to not take themselves very seriously. Any show that is not preoccupied with remaining in the viewer's comfort zone is infinitely more interesting. Seinfeld is an example of another show that was able to leave the normal bounds of a sitcom.