"South Park" (1997) TV series 1997-????

Creators:

Trey Parker
Matt Stone

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

Release Date:

13 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Tagline:

Four boys. One f**ked up town.

Plot:

Follows the misadventures of four irreverent grade-schoolers in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado.

Plot Keywords:

Parent | Colorado | South Park Colorado | Racist | Famous Line

Awards:

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 4 of 42)

Trey Parker	...	Eric Cartman / ... (184 episodes, 1997-2009)
Matt Stone	...	Kyle Broflovski / ... (183 episodes, 1997-2009)
Isaac Hayes	...	Chef (136 episodes, 1997-2005)
Mona Marshall	...	Sheila Broflovski / ... (92 episodes, 2000-2009)

Runtime:

30 min | Finland:22 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:18A (DVD rating) (season 3) | Japan:R | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-15 (2006) (TV rating) (self applied) | Finland:K-3 (1999) (DVD) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:(Banned) | Chile:18 | Canada:18+ (tv rating) | Canada:14A (DVD rating) (seasons 1, 2, 4 - 12) | UK:18 (two episodes) | USA:TV-14 (syndicated episodes) | UK:PG (some episodes) | France:U (DVD rating) | Italy:VM18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Brazil:18 (some episodes) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:MG6 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (some episodes) | USA:TV-MA | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:(Banned) | UK:15

Company:

Comedy Central

Trivia:

Butters' supervillain alter-ego, Professor Chaos, is based on Marvel Comics villain Dr. Doom.

Goofs:

Continuity: Clyde's last name was Goodman in early seasons, but the more recent seasons changed it to Harris. In early merchandise and the season eight episode quest for ratings he was called Clyde Donovan. Also, Jimmy's last name has been both Vollmer or Swanson.

Quotes:

Butters: Will I eventually get to South Park if I follow this road?
Hick Gas Station Mechanic: Dat road leads to Conifer. You want ta go to South Park you gotta go down dat road.
[scary road, lighting, ominous music]
Hick Gas Station Mechanic: Course I ain't never seen anyone go up that road. Six years ago a group of campers went out dere and got lost, had to eat each other to stay alive. Used to be da way to da O'Reilly house, he butchered over 50 children and kept der bodies in his cellar. But you should find an old bridge 'bout half way up. Dat bridge is cursed, ya know. Dey built it with the bones of 200 Chinese laborers who were massacred in '34. Ya, a lot of history on dat road.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Knocked Up (2007)

An Excellent Program All Too Frequently Dismissed

Both cartoons and sci-fi have long been the only place where thought-provoking social commentary can take place, unmolested by censorship, and both are all too frequently dismissed because of their least important characteristics. South Park is an intelligent, humorous and thought-provoking show that is often ignored or decried by people who judge it only by the very things it deliberately throws in their face, such as profanity, simple animation, and graphic violence, because the creators know that people like this are easily offended by these things, and will always miss the point. The simplicity of the animation, for example, has been criticised by people who miss the point that it's deliberately meant to be simple, in the face of those high-budget major studio cartoons that are more concerned with using cgi and selling toys than having anything to say. Nope, this isn't a show for those who don't appreciate irony. The episodes tackle a wide range of issues, from 9/11 to violence on television to celebrity obsession to religion, through the use of comedy, which is usually the best way to handle such matters.

The main characters are four children who are basically mouthpieces for their creator's opinions, expressing views that would sound arrogant coming from adults. Stan represents the liberal viewpoint, as does his friend Kyle, who as a practising Jew, allows opportunity for religious comment. Is the show anti-religious? No, but fundamentalists like to think it is. It has the essential message of 'believe what you like, but leave me alone'. And of course there's Eric Cartman, the ignorant foul-mouthed selfish redneck, and funny as hell. Sometimes I think he's there to remind us not to take anyone like him seriously. That and to provide a lot of the show's humour. Easily my favourite character. Other characters on the show usually represent majority/opposing views as the plot requires.

Like any long-running show, some episodes are better than others, not all have something to say, and not all are funny. But creators Stone and Parker 'retool' the show periodically with new characters, and try to keep up with current events, and I enjoyed the latest series (8th) for these very reasons. I've watched since the beginning, but they're making an effort not to let South Park go stale.

No doubt South Park will continue to be derided by those who think the most important social problem today is swearing, yet have probably never sat down to watch an episode. And beside them will be the offended parent brigade who still haven't learned that not all cartoons are for children. But the rest of us will still be here to enjoy it, hopefully exchanging righteous indignation for a few laughs and maybe a thought or two about the world we live in. If you've never seen South Park, don't listen to the hype. Watch it and decide for yourself. Hopefully you'll be glad you did.