Jump to content

South Park

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the television series. For the franchise, see South Park (franchise). For other uses, see South Park (disambiguation).

South Park
Title card featuring the four main characters: Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman
Genre
Created by
Developed byBrian Graden
Showrunners
  • Trey Parker
  • Matt Stone
Voices of
Theme music composerPrimus
Composers
  • Adam Berry
  • Scott Nickoley
  • Jamie Dunlap
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons26
No. of episodes328 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
CinematographyKenny Gioseffi
Running time22 minutes[1]
Production companies
  • Celluloid Studios (1997)
  • Braniff Productions (1997–2006)
  • Parker-Stone Productions (2006–2007)
  • South Park Studios (2007–present)
  • Comedy Partners
Original release
NetworkComedy Central[nb 1]
ReleaseAugust 13, 1997 (1997-08-13) –
present (present)
Related
The Spirit of Christmas

South Park is an American [animated sitcom]] created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their exploits in and around the titular Colorado town. South Park also features many recurring characters. The series became infamous for its profanity and dark, surreal humor that satirizes a large range of subject matter.

Parker and Stone developed South Park from two animated short films, both titled The Spirit of Christmas, released in 1992 and 1995. The second short became one of the first Internet viral videos, leading to the series' production. The pilot episode was produced using cutout animation; the remainder of the series uses computer animation recalling the prior technique. Since the fourth season, episodes have generally been written and produced during the week preceding their broadcast, with Parker serving as the lead writer and director.

Since its debut on August 13, 1997, 328 episodes of South Park have been broadcast. It debuted with great success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program. Subsequent ratings have varied, but it remains one of Comedy Central's longest-running programs. In August 2021, South Park was renewed through 2027, and a series of television specials was announced for Paramount+, the first two of which were released later that year.[2][3] In October 2019, it was announced that WarnerMedia acquired exclusive streaming rights to South Park starting in June 2020 for HBO Max.[4] The series' twenty-sixth season premiered on February 8, 2023.[5]

South Park has received critical acclaim, and is included in various publications' lists of the greatest television shows. It has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. A theatrical film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, was released in June 1999 to commercial and critical success, garnering an Academy Award nomination. In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.[6]

Premise

Setting and characters

Main article: List of South Park characters

South Park centers around four boys: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick. The boys live in the fictional small town of South Park, located within the real-life South Park basin in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado,[7] approximately a one-hour drive from Denver.[8] The town is also home to an assortment of other characters, including students, families, elementary school staff, and other various residents.[9] Prominent settings include South Park Elementary, various neighborhoods and the surrounding mountain range, actual Colorado landmarks, and the businesses along the town's main street, all of which are based on the appearance of similar locations in Fairplay, Colorado.[7][9] As one of the few television programs set in the Mountain West region that takes place outside the urban core of Denver, South Park frequently features the unique culture of the region, including cattle ranchers, Old West theme parks, snowy climates, mountaineering, Mormons, real-life Colorado locations such as Casa Bonita and Cave of the Winds, and many other regionally specific characteristics.

Stan is portrayed as an average American boy; however, he has many mishaps throughout the series. In the first 22 seasons, Stan lived in South Park, but in the episodes during and after season 22, Stan resided in Tegridy Farms. Kyle is Jewish, and his portrayal as one of the few such people in South Park is often dealt with satirically.[10] Stan is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone. They are best friends, and their friendship, symbolically intended to reflect Parker and Stone's friendship,[11] is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman (as he is commonly referred to) is amoral and increasingly psychopathic, and is commonly portrayed as an antagonist. His staunch antisemitism has resulted in a progressive rivalry with Kyle.[10][12] Kenny, who comes from a poor family, tightly wears his parka hood to the point where it obscures most of his face and muffles his speech. During the first five seasons, Kenny died in almost every episode before reappearing in the next with no definite explanation. He was killed off in the fifth season episode "Kenny Dies", before being reintroduced in the sixth season finale, "Red Sleigh Down". Since then, Kenny is depicted as dying sporadically. During the first 58 episodes, the children were in the third grade. During the fourth season, they entered the fourth grade, where they have remained ever since.[13][14]

Plots are often set in motion by events, ranging from the fairly typical to the supernatural and extraordinary, which frequently happen in the town.[15] The boys often act as the voice of reason when these events cause panic or incongruous behavior among the adult populace, who are customarily depicted as irrational, gullible, and prone to overreaction.[7][16] They are frequently confused by the contradictory and hypocritical behavior of their parents and other adults, and often perceive them as having distorted views on morality and society.[9][17]

Themes and style

See also: Subject matter in South Park

Each episode opens with a tongue-in-cheek all persons fictitious disclaimer: "All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated.....poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone."[18][19]

South Park was the first weekly program to be rated TV-MA,[20] and is generally intended for adult audiences.[21][22][23] The boys and most other child characters use strong profanity, with only the most taboo words being bleeped during a typical broadcast.[9] Parker and Stone perceive this as the manner in which real-life small boys speak when they are alone.[24][25]

South Park commonly makes use of carnivalesque and absurdist techniques,[26] numerous running gags,[27][28] violence,[28][29] sexual content,[30][31] offhand pop-cultural references, and satirical portrayal of celebrities.[32]

Early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented and featured more slapstick-style humor.[33] While social satire had been used on the show occasionally earlier on, it became more prevalent as the series progressed, with the show retaining some of its focus on the boys' fondness of scatological humor in an attempt to remind adult viewers "what it was like to be eight years old".[10] Parker and Stone also began further developing other characters by giving them larger roles in certain storylines,[10] and began writing plots as parables based on religion, politics, and numerous other topics.[9] This provided the opportunity for the show to spoof both extreme sides of contentious issues,[34] while lampooning both liberal and conservative points of view.[9][16][35] Rebecca Raphael described the show as "an equal opportunity offender",[15] while Parker and Stone describe their main purpose as to "be funny" and "make people laugh",[36][37] while stating that no particular topic or group of people be exempt from mockery and satire.[16][32][38][39][40]

Parker and Stone insist that the show is still more about "kids being kids" and "what it's like to be in [elementary school] in America",[41] stating that the introduction of a more satirical element to the series was the result of the two adding more of a "moral center" to the show so that it would rely less on simply being crude and shocking in an attempt to maintain an audience.[36][37] While profane, Parker notes that there is still an "underlying sweetness" aspect to the child characters,[34] and Time described the boys as "sometimes cruel but with a core of innocence".[11] Usually, the boys or other characters pondered over what transpired during an episode and conveyed the important lesson taken from it with a short monologue. During earlier seasons, this speech commonly began with a variation of the phrase "You know, I've learned something today...".[42]

Development

Two adult males sitting in chairs with their left legs crossed.
South Park creators Trey Parker (left) and Matt Stone continue to do most of the writing, directing and voice acting on the show.

Parker and Stone met in film class at the University of Colorado in 1992 and discovered a shared love of Monty Python, which they often cite as one of their primary inspirations.[43] They created an animated short entitled The Spirit of Christmas.[27] The film was created by animating construction paper cutouts with stop motion, and features prototypes of the main characters of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but named "Kenny", an unnamed character resembling what is today Kenny, and two near-identical unnamed characters who resemble Stan and Kyle. Fox Broadcasting Company executive and mutual friend Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film as a video Christmas card. Created in 1995, the second The Spirit of Christmas short resembled the style of the later series more closely.[44] To differentiate between the two homonymous shorts, the first short is often referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty, and the second short as Jesus vs. Santa. Graden sent copies of the video to several of his friends, and from there it was copied and distributed, including on the internet, where it became one of the first viral videos.[27][11]

As Jesus vs. Santa became more popular, Parker and Stone began talks of developing the short into a television series about four children residing in a fictional Colorado town in the real-life South Park basin. Fox eagerly agreed to meet with the duo about the show's premise, having prided itself on edgier products such as Cops, The Simpsons, and The X-Files. However, during the meeting at the Fox office in Century City, disagreements between the two creators and the network began to arise, mainly over the latter's refusal to air a show that included a supporting talking stool character named Mr. Hankey. Some executives at 20th Century Fox Television (which was to produce the series) agreed with its then-sister network's stance on Mr. Hankey and repeatedly requested Parker and Stone to remove the character in order for the show to proceed. Refusing to meet their demands, the duo cut ties with Fox and its sister companies all together and began shopping the series somewhere else.[45][46][47]

The two then entered negotiations with both MTV and Comedy Central. Parker preferred the show be produced by Comedy Central, fearing that MTV would turn it into a kids show.[48] When Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog watched the short, he commissioned for it to be developed into a series.[27][49] Parker and Stone assembled a small staff and spent three months creating the pilot episode "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe".[50] South Park was in danger of being canceled before it even aired when the show fared poorly with test audiences, particularly with women. However, the shorts were still gaining more popularity over the Internet, and Comedy Central ordered a run of six episodes.[36][48] South Park debuted with "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" on August 13, 1997.[51]

Production

Except for the pilot episode, which was produced using cutout animation, all episodes of South Park are created with the use of software, primarily Autodesk Maya.[52] As opposed to the pilot, which took three months to complete,[53] and other animated sitcoms, which are traditionally hand-drawn by companies in South Korea in a process that takes roughly eight to nine months,[27][35] individual episodes of South Park take significantly less time to produce. Using computers as an animation method, the show's production staff were able to generate an episode in about three weeks during the first seasons.[54] Now, with a staff of about 70 people, episodes are typically completed in one week,[27][34][35] with some in as little as three to four days.[55][56][57] Nearly the entire production of an episode is accomplished within one set of offices, which were originally at a complex in Westwood, Los Angeles, California and are now part of South Park Studios in Culver City, California.[49][53] Parker and Stone have been the show's executive producers throughout its entire history.[58] Debbie Liebling, who was Senior Vice President of original programming and development for Comedy Central, also served as an executive producer during the show's first five seasons, coordinating the show's production efforts between South Park Studios and Comedy Central's headquarters in New York City.[59][60] During its early stages, finished episodes of South Park were hastily recorded to D-2 to be sent to Comedy Central for airing in just a few days' time.[61] Each episode used to cost $250,000.[62]

Writing

Montage: On top, an armored man with a rifle reaches for a scared young boy being held in the arms of an adult male in an open closet. On bottom, a frame from an animated show mimicking the picture above, with an adult female instead holding a young boy.
The Border Patrol raid during the Elián González affair is referenced in "Quintuplets 2000", which aired within the same week the event occurred.

Scripts are not written before a season begins.[63] Production of an episode begins on a Thursday, with the show's writing consultants brainstorming with Parker and Stone. Former staff writers include Pam Brady, who has since written scripts for the films Hot Rod, Hamlet 2 and Team America: World Police (with Parker and Stone), and Nancy Pimental, who served as co-host of Win Ben Stein's Money and wrote the film The Sweetest Thing after her tenure with the show during its first three seasons.[64][65] Television producer and writer Norman Lear, an idol of both Parker and Stone, served as a guest writing consultant for the season seven (2003) episodes "Cancelled" and "I'm a Little Bit Country".[63][66][67] During the 12th and 13th seasons, Saturday Night Live actor and writer Bill Hader served as a creative consultant and co-producer.[68][69][70]

After exchanging ideas, Parker will write a script, and from there the entire team of animators, editors, technicians, and sound engineers will each typically work 100–120 hours in the ensuing week.[50] Since the show's fourth season (2000), Parker has assumed most of the show's directorial duties, while Stone relinquished his share of the directing to focus on handling the coordination and business aspects of the production.[27][71] On Wednesday, a completed episode is sent to Comedy Central's headquarters via satellite uplink, sometimes just a few hours before its air time of 10 PM Eastern Time.[27][72]

Parker and Stone state that subjecting themselves to a one-week deadline creates more spontaneity amongst themselves in the creative process, which they feel results in a funnier show.[27] The schedule also allows South Park to both stay more topical and respond more quickly to specific current events than other satiric animated shows.[10][73] One of the earliest examples of this was in the season four (2000) episode "Quintuplets 2000", which references the United States Border Patrol's raid of a house during the Elián González affair, an event which occurred only four days before the episode originally aired.[74] The season nine (2005) episode "Best Friends Forever" references the Terri Schiavo case,[25][34] and originally aired in the midst of the controversy and less than 12 hours before she died.[35][75] A scene in the season seven (2003) finale "It's Christmas in Canada" references the discovery of dictator Saddam Hussein in a "spider hole" and his subsequent capture, which happened a mere three days prior to the episode airing.[76] The season 12 (2008) episode "About Last Night..." revolves around Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election, and aired less than 24 hours after Obama was declared the winner, using segments of dialogue from Obama's real victory speech.[77]

On October 16, 2013, the show failed to meet their production deadline for the first time ever, after a power outage on October 15 at the production studio prevented the episode, season 17's "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers", from being finished in time. The episode was rescheduled to air a week later on October 23, 2013.[78]

Animation

Montage showing the stages of an animation process: On top, a simple black and white sketch of a male child in a rocket kiddie-ride, while another young child stands next to the ride and reluctantly holds the rider's hand. In the middle, stock animation characters reflecting the sketch shown at top, sans background characters. At bottom, a screenshot of a fully animated frame showing the same event, complete with characters and arcade games in the background
The various stages of production (from top to bottom): the storyboard sketch, the CorelDRAW props with stock character models, and a frame from the fully rendered episode, "Super Fun Time"

The show's style of animation is inspired by the paper cut-out cartoons made by Terry Gilliam for Monty Python's Flying Circus, of which Parker and Stone have been lifelong fans.[48][11][79] Construction paper and traditional stop motion cutout animation techniques were used in the original animated shorts and in the pilot episode. Subsequent episodes have been produced by computer animation, providing a similar look to the originals while requiring a fraction of the time to produce. Before computer artists begin animating an episode, a series of animatics drawn in Toon Boom are provided by the show's storyboard artists.[50][80]

The characters and objects are composed of simple geometrical shapes and primary and secondary colors. Most child characters are the same size and shape, and are distinguished by their clothing, hair and skin colors, and headwear.[17] Characters are mostly presented two-dimensionally and from only one angle. Their movements are animated in an intentionally jerky fashion, as they are purposely not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters.[10][53][81] Occasionally, some non-fictional characters are depicted with photographic cutouts of their actual head and face in lieu of a face reminiscent of the show's traditional style. Canadians on the show are often portrayed in an even more minimalist fashion; they have simple beady eyes, and the top halves of their heads simply flap up and down when the characters speak.[38]

When the show began using computers, the cardboard cutouts were scanned and re-drawn with CorelDRAW, then imported into PowerAnimator, which was used with SGI workstations to animate the characters.[50][53] The workstations were linked to a 54-processor render farm that could render 10 to 15 shots an hour.[50] Beginning with season five, the animators began using Maya instead of PowerAnimator.[82] As of 2012, the studio ran a 120-processor render farm that can produce 30 or more shots an hour.[50]

PowerAnimator and Maya are high-end programs mainly used for 3D computer graphics, while co-producer and former animation director Eric Stough notes that PowerAnimator was initially chosen because its features helped animators retain the show's "homemade" look.[53] PowerAnimator was also used for making some of the show's visual effects,[53] which are now created using Motion,[50] a newer graphics program created by Apple, Inc. for their Mac OS X operating system. The show's visual quality has improved in recent seasons,[10] though several other techniques are used to intentionally preserve the cheap cutout animation look.[27][54][83]

A few episodes feature sections of live-action footage, while others have incorporated other styles of animation. Portions of the season eight (2004) premiere "Good Times with Weapons" are done in anime style, while the season 10 episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" is done partly in machinima.[84] The season 12 episode "Major Boobage", a homage to the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal, implements scenes accomplished with rotoscoping.[85]

Voice cast

Main article: List of South Park cast members

Parker and Stone voice most of the male South Park characters.[9][10][86] Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters until her death in November 1999. Mona Marshall and Eliza Schneider succeeded Bergman, with Schneider leaving the show after its seventh season (2003). She was replaced by April Stewart, who, along with Marshall, continues to voice most of the female characters. Bergman was originally listed in the credits under the alias Shannen Cassidy to protect her reputation as the voice of several Disney and other kid-friendly characters.[87] Stewart was originally credited under the name Gracie Lazar,[88] while Schneider was sometimes credited under her rock opera performance pseudonym Blue Girl.[89]

Other voice actors and members of South Park's production staff have voiced minor characters for various episodes, while a few staff members voice recurring characters. Supervising producer Jennifer Howell voices student Bebe Stevens;[86] co-producer and storyboard artist Adrien Beard voices Tolkien Black,[nb 2][90] who was the school's only African-American student until the introduction of Nichole in "Cartman Finds Love"; writing consultant Vernon Chatman voices an anthropomorphic towel named Towelie;[86] and production supervisor John Hansen voices Mr. Slave, the former gay lover of Mr. Garrison.[91] Throughout the show's run, the voices for toddler and kindergarten characters have been provided by various small children of the show's production staff.[92]

When voicing child characters, the voice actors speak within their normal vocal range while adding a childlike inflection. The recorded audio is then edited with Pro Tools, and the pitch is altered to make the voice sound more like that of a fourth grader.[72][93][94]

Isaac Hayes voiced the character of Chef, an African-American, soul-singing cafeteria worker who was one of the few adults the boys consistently trusted.[11][95] Hayes agreed to voice the character after being among Parker and Stone's ideal candidates, which also included Lou Rawls and Barry White.[96] Hayes, who lived and hosted a radio show in New York during his tenure with South Park, recorded his dialogue on a digital audio tape while a director gave directions over the phone, after which the tape would be shipped to the show's production studio in California.[53] After Hayes left the show in early 2006, the character of Chef was killed off in the season 10 (2006) premiere "The Return of Chef".

Guest stars

Main article: List of South Park guest stars

Celebrities who are depicted on the show are usually impersonated, though some celebrities do their own voices for the show. Celebrities who have voiced themselves include Michael Buffer,[97][98] Brent Musburger,[99] Jay Leno,[100] Robert Smith,[101] and the bands Radiohead and Korn.[102][103] Comedy team Cheech & Chong voiced characters representing their likenesses for the season four (2000) episode "Cherokee Hair Tampons", which was the duo's first collaborative effort in 20 years.[104] Malcolm McDowell appears in live-action sequences as the narrator of the season four episode "Pip".[105]

Jennifer Aniston,[106] Richard Belzer,[107] Natasha Henstridge,[101] Norman Lear,[108] and Peter Serafinowicz[109] have guest starred as other speaking characters. During South Park's earliest seasons, several high-profile celebrities inquired about guest-starring on the show. As a joke, Parker and Stone responded by offering low-profile, non-speaking roles, most of which were accepted; George Clooney provided the barks for Stan's dog Sparky in the season one (1997) episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride",[110] Leno provided the meows for Cartman's cat in the season one finale "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut",[110] and Henry Winkler voiced the various growls and grunts of a kid-eating monster in the season two (1998) episode "City on the Edge of Forever".[111] Jerry Seinfeld offered to lend his voice for the Thanksgiving episode "Starvin' Marvin", but declined to appear when he was only offered a role as "Turkey #2".[112]

Music

An adult male with sunglasses plays a piano under a spotlight on a darkened stage, 1973
Chef would often sing in a style reminiscent of that of his voice actor, Isaac Hayes.

Parker says that the varying uses of music are of utmost importance to South Park.[113] Several characters often play or sing songs in order to change or influence a group's behavior, or to educate, motivate, or indoctrinate others. The show also frequently features scenes in which its characters have disapproving reactions to the performances of certain popular musicians.[113]

Adam Berry, the show's original score composer, used sound synthesis to simulate a small orchestra, and frequently alluded to existing famous pieces of music. Berry also used signature acoustic guitar and mandolin cues as leitmotifs for the show's establishing shots.[113][114] After Berry left in 2001, Jamie Dunlap and Scott Nickoley of the Los Angeles-based Mad City Production Studios provided the show's original music for the next seven seasons.[93] Since 2008, Dunlap has been credited as the show's sole score composer.[115] Dunlap's contributions to the show are one of the few that are not achieved at the show's own production offices. Dunlap reads a script, creates a score using digital audio software, and then e-mails the audio file to South Park Studios, where it is edited to fit with the completed episode.[93]

In addition to singing in an effort to explain something to the children, Chef would also sing about things relevant to what had transpired in the plot. These songs were original compositions written by Parker, and they were performed by Hayes in the same sexually suggestive R&B style he had used during his own music career. The band DVDA, which consists of Parker and Stone, along with show staff members Bruce Howell and D.A. Young, performed the music for these compositions and, until the character's death on the show, were listed as "Chef's Band" in the closing credits.[53]

Rick James, Elton John, Meat Loaf, Joe Strummer, Ozzy Osbourne, Primus, Rancid, and Ween all guest starred and briefly performed in the season two (1998) episode "Chef Aid". Korn debuted their single "Falling Away from Me" as guest stars on the season three (1999) episode "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery".[103]

Main theme

The show's theme song was a musical score performed by the band Primus, with the lyrics alternately sung by the band's lead singer, Les Claypool, and the show's four central characters during the opening title sequence. Kenny's muffled lines are altered after every few seasons. His lines are usually sexually explicit in nature, such as his original lines, "I like girls with big fat titties, I like girls with deep vaginas".[116]

The original unaired opening composition was originally slower and had a length of 40 seconds. It was deemed too long for the opening sequence. So Parker and Stone sped it up for the show's opening, having Claypool re-record his vocals. The instrumental version of the original composition is often played during the show's closing credits.[117]

The opening song played in the first four seasons (and the end credits in all seasons) has a folk rock instrumentation with bass guitar, trumpets and rhythmic drums. Its beat is fast in the opening and leisurely in the closing credits. It is in the minor key and it features a tritone or a diminished fifth, creating a melodic dissonance, which captures the show's surrealistic nature.[how?] In the latter parts of seasons 4 and 5, the opening tune has an electro funk arrangement with pop qualities. Seasons 6–9 have a sprightly bluegrass instrumentation with a usage of banjo and is set in the major key. For the later seasons, the arrangement is electro rock with a breakbeat influence, which feature electric guitars backed up by synthesized, groovy drumbeats.[93]

The opening theme song has been remixed three times during the course of the series, including a remix performed by Paul Robb.[118] In 2006, the theme music was remixed with the song "Whamola" by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, from the album Purple Onion.[119]

Episodes

Main article: List of South Park episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
113August 13, 1997 (1997-08-13)February 25, 1998 (1998-02-25)Comedy Central
218April 1, 1998 (1998-04-01)January 20, 1999 (1999-01-20)
317April 7, 1999 (1999-04-07)January 12, 2000 (2000-01-12)
417April 5, 2000 (2000-04-05)December 20, 2000 (2000-12-20)
514June 20, 2001 (2001-06-20)December 12, 2001 (2001-12-12)
617March 6, 2002 (2002-03-06)December 11, 2002 (2002-12-11)
715March 19, 2003 (2003-03-19)December 17, 2003 (2003-12-17)
814March 17, 2004 (2004-03-17)December 15, 2004 (2004-12-15)
914March 9, 2005 (2005-03-09)December 7, 2005 (2005-12-07)
1014March 22, 2006 (2006-03-22)November 15, 2006 (2006-11-15)
1114March 7, 2007 (2007-03-07)November 14, 2007 (2007-11-14)
1214March 12, 2008 (2008-03-12)November 19, 2008 (2008-11-19)
1314March 11, 2009 (2009-03-11)November 18, 2009 (2009-11-18)
1414March 17, 2010 (2010-03-17)November 17, 2010 (2010-11-17)
1514April 27, 2011 (2011-04-27)November 16, 2011 (2011-11-16)
1614March 14, 2012 (2012-03-14)November 7, 2012 (2012-11-07)
1710September 25, 2013 (2013-09-25)December 11, 2013 (2013-12-11)
1810September 24, 2014 (2014-09-24)December 10, 2014 (2014-12-10)
1910September 16, 2015 (2015-09-16)December 9, 2015 (2015-12-09)
2010September 14, 2016 (2016-09-14)December 7, 2016 (2016-12-07)
2110September 13, 2017 (2017-09-13)December 6, 2017 (2017-12-06)
2210September 26, 2018 (2018-09-26)December 12, 2018 (2018-12-12)
2310September 25, 2019 (2019-09-25)December 11, 2019 (2019-12-11)
242September 30, 2020 (2020-09-30)March 10, 2021 (2021-03-10)
Specials2November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25)December 16, 2021 (2021-12-16)Paramount+
256February 2, 2022 (2022-02-02)March 16, 2022 (2022-03-16)Comedy Central
Specials2June 1, 2022 (2022-06-01)July 13, 2022 (2022-07-13)Paramount+
266February 8, 2023 (2023-02-08)March 29, 2023 (2023-03-29)Comedy Central
Specials3October 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)May 24, 2024 (2024-05-24)Paramount+

Distribution

International

South Park is broadcast internationally in several countries and territories, including India, New Zealand, and several countries throughout Europe and Latin America on channels that are subsidiaries of Comedy Central and Paramount Media Networks, both subsidiaries of Paramount.[27][120][121] In distribution deals with Comedy Central, other independent networks also broadcast the series in other international markets. In Australia, the show is broadcast on The Comedy Channel, Comedy Central and free-to-air channel SBS Viceland (before 2009), while new episodes aired on SBS. The program also airs free-to-air in Australia on 10 Shake, a sister network to Comedy Central through Paramount.[122] The series is broadcast uncensored in Canada in English on The Comedy Network[123] and, later, Much. The series was formerly broadcast on Global. South Park also airs in Irish on TG4 in Ireland,[124] STV in Scotland,[125] Comedy Central and MTV in the UK (previously on Sky One, Channel 4, VIVA and 5Star), B92 in Serbia,[126] and on Game One and NRJ 12 in France. In September 2020, SBS, which aired South Park in Australia since 1997, removed South Park from its television line-up, though reruns could air on SBS Viceland.[127][128]

Syndication

Broadcast syndication rights to South Park were acquired by Debmar-Mercury and Tribune Entertainment in 2003 and 2004 respectively.[129][130] Episodes further edited for content began running in syndication on September 19, 2005, and were aired in the United States with the TV-14 rating.[130][131] 20th Television replaced Tribune as co-distributor in early 2008. By the time its run in syndication ended in 2015,[132] it aired in 90 percent of the television markets across the United States and Canada, where it generated an estimated US$25 million a year in advertising revenue.[133][134] In 2019, CBS Television Distribution (the syndication arm of ViacomCBS, now known as Paramount Global), took over the full distribution rights following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox (parent of 20th Television) by The Walt Disney Company (who had employed Debmar-Mercury founder Mort Marcus as the head of their syndication division), distributing the show in syndication.[135] In 2021, South Park Studios struck a deal with ViacomCBS, which allows the show to be renewed all the way up to season 30 and 14 additional films, enough to carry the show to at least 2027.[136][137]

Home media

Main article: List of South Park home video releases

Complete seasons of South Park have been regularly released in their entirety on DVD since 2002, with season twenty-six being the most recently released. Several other themed DVD compilations have been released by Rhino Entertainment and Comedy Central,[138] while the three-episode Imaginationland story arc was reissued straight-to-DVD as a full-length feature in 2008.[139][140][141] Blu-ray releases started in 2008 with the release of season twelve.[142] Subsequent seasons have been released in this format alongside the longer-running DVD releases. The first eleven seasons were released on Blu-ray for the first time in December 2017.[143][144]

Streaming

In March 2008, Comedy Central made every episode of South Park available for free full-length on-demand legal streaming on the official South Park Studios website.[145] From March 2008 until December 2013, new episodes were added to the site the day following their debut, and an uncensored version was posted the following day. The episode stayed up for the remainder of the week, then taken down, and added to the site three weeks later.

Within a week, the site served more than a million streams of full episodes,[145] and the number grew to 55 million by October 2008.[146] Legal issues prevent the U.S. content from being accessible outside the United States,[147] so local servers have been set up in other countries.[148] In September 2009, a South Park Studios website with streaming episodes was launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[149] In Canada, episodes were available for streaming from The Comedy Network's website, though due to digital rights restrictions, they are no longer available.[150]

In April 2010, the season five episode "Super Best Friends" and the season fourteen episodes "200" and "201" were removed from the site; additionally, these episodes no longer air in reruns and are only available exclusively on DVD and Blu-ray. These episodes remain unavailable following the 2014 purchase by Hulu.

In July 2014, it was announced that Hulu had signed a three-year deal purchasing exclusive online streaming rights to the South Park for a reported $80 million. Following the announcement every episode remained available for free on the South Park Studios website, using the Hulu player. As of September 2014, following the premiere of the eighteenth season, only 30 select episodes would be featured for free viewing at a time on a rotating basis on the website, with new episodes being available for an entire month starting the day following their original airings. The entire series was available on Hulu by this point.[151]

As of July 2015, all episodes of South Park are available for streaming in Canada on the service CraveTV, which first consisted of seasons 1–18. Subsequent seasons were released the following July.[152]

In early October 2019, industry rumors suggested that the streaming rights for South Park were being offered to various services, creating an intense bidding war that was estimated to be as high as US$500 million. HBO and South Park Digital Studios announced that HBO had secured a multi-year deal for the exclusive streaming rights for South Park on their HBO Max service starting June 24, 2020.[153] While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Variety reported the deal fell between US$500 million and US$550 million.[154] Beginning with season 25 in 2022, HBO Max posts new episodes the next day after their Comedy Central airing.[155] Once that deal expires in 2025, Paramount+ will become the exclusive streaming home. In addition, the season 27 episodes would stream first on Paramount+ before hitting HBO Max.[156] Though season 27 would have originally aired in 2024, the season was delayed due to what Parker and Stone claimed to be uncertainties about the 2024 United States presidential election (mainly the exhaustion of humor set around Donald Trump), along with the proposed merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global.[157]

In February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit which claimed that Paramount breached its exclusivity contract with HBO Max by airing South Park on its own streaming platform.[158]

Re-rendered episodes

From its debut in 1997 to the season twelve finale in 2008 the series had been originally produced in standard definition, with a 4:3 aspect ratio. In 2009, the series switched to being produced in 16:9 high definition 1080p with the beginning of the thirteenth season.[159] Since this, all twelve seasons originally produced in standard definition have been remastered by South Park Studios, being fully re-rendered in high definition. The aspect ratio of these episodes were also converted from 4:3 to 16:9 as well.[159] The re-rendered versions were also released on Blu-ray. Several of the re-rendered episodes from the earlier seasons have their original uncensored audio tracks; they had previously been released in censored form.[159][160][161][162]

The fifth-season episode "Super Best Friends", which was pulled from syndication and online streams following the controversy surrounding episode "201", was not released alongside the rest of the season when it was released in HD on iTunes in 2011. The episode was later re-rendered and made available for the Blu-ray release of the season that was released on December 5, 2017.[143] The episode is presented in its original presentation, without Muhammad's image being obscured as in later episodes of the series.[163]

Reception

Ratings

When South Park debuted, it was a huge ratings success for Comedy Central and is seen as being largely responsible for the success of the channel, with Herzog crediting it for putting the network "on the map".[27][49][164]

The show's first episode, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", earned a Nielsen rating of 1.3 (980,000 viewers), at the time considered high for a cable program.[164] The show instantly generated buzz among television viewers, and mass viewing parties began assembling on college campuses.[21][15][23] By the time the eighth episode, "Starvin' Marvin", aired—three months after the show debuted—ratings and viewership had tripled, and South Park was already the most successful show in Comedy Central's history.[23] When the tenth episode "Damien" aired the following February, viewership increased another 33 percent. The episode earned a 6.4 rating, which at the time was over 10 times the average rating earned by a cable show aired in prime time.[21][164] The ratings peaked with the second episode of season two, "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", which aired on April 22, 1998. The episode earned an 8.2 rating (6.2 million viewers) and, at the time, set a record as the highest-rated non-sports show in basic cable history.[29][37][164] During the spring of 1998, eight of the ten highest-rated shows on basic cable were South Park episodes.[22] South Park's second season would average a 5.8 rating (12.5 million viewers) which was a lower rating due to Comedy Central's households being much higher.[clarification needed]

The success of South Park prompted more cable companies to carry Comedy Central and led it to its becoming one of the fastest-growing cable channels. The number of households that had Comedy Central jumped from 9.1 million in 1997 to 50 million in June 1998.[164] When the show debuted, the most Comedy Central had earned for a 30-second commercial was US$7,500.[21] Within a year, advertisers were paying an average of US$40,000 for 30 seconds of advertising time during airings of South Park in its second season, while some paid as much as US$80,000.[165]

By the third season (1999), the series' ratings began to decrease.[166] The third-season premiere episode drew 3.4 million viewers, a dramatic drop from the 5.5 million of the previous season's premiere.[164] Stone and Parker attributed this drop in the show's ratings to the media hype that surrounded the show in the previous year, adding that the third season ratings reflected the show's "true" fan base.[164] Regardless the viewership stayed consistent with an average rating being between 3.0 (8 million viewers) to a 5.5 (17.5 million viewers). The show's ratings dropped further in its fourth season (2000), with episodes averaging just above 1.5 million viewers (though the season premiere would get 22.1 million viewers due to the hype caused by the movie). The ratings eventually increased, and seasons five through nine consistently averaged about 3 million viewers per episode.[164] Season 8's episode "Goobacks" would have South Park's viewership peak at 30 million viewers. Seasons 10 to 12 would average 5 million viewers. Though its viewership is lower than it was at the height of its popularity in its earliest seasons, South Park remains one of the highest-rated series on Comedy Central.[167] The season 14 (2010) premiere gained 3.7 million viewers, the show's highest-rated season premiere since 1998.[168] In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that "perhaps unsurprisingly, South Park ... is most popular in Colorado".[169] Subsequent seasons saw substantially lower ratings, with season 25 averaging 0.65 million viewers an episode.[citation needed]

Recognitions and awards

In 2004, Channel 4 voted South Park the third-greatest cartoon of all time.[170] In 2007, Time magazine included the show on its list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time", proclaiming it as "America's best source of rapid-fire satire for [the past] decade".[171] The same year, Rolling Stone declared it to be the funniest show on television since its debut 10 years prior.[172] In 2008, South Park was named the 12th-greatest TV show of the past 25 years by Entertainment Weekly,[173] while AOL declared it as having the "most astute" characters of any show in history when naming it the 16th-best television comedy series of all time.[174] In 2011, South Park was voted number one in the 25 Greatest Animated TV Series poll by Entertainment Weekly.[175] The character of Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's 2002 list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters",[176] 198th on VH1's "200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons",[177] 19th on Bravo's "100 Greatest TV Characters" television special in 2004,[178] and second on MSNBC's 2005 list of TV's scariest characters behind Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.[179] In 2006, Comedy Central received a Peabody Award for South Park's "stringent social commentary" and "undeniably fearless lampooning of all that is self-important and hypocritical in American life".[27][41][180][181] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked South Park at number 63 among the "101 Best-Written Shows Ever".[182] Also in 2013, TV Guide listed the show at number 10 among the "60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time".[183] In 2019, the series was ranked 42nd on The Guardian newspaper's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.[184]

South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.[185] In 1998, South Park was nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program. It was also nominated for the 1998 GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV – Individual Episode for "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".[32]

South Park has been nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program eighteen times (1998, 2000, 2002, 2004–2011, 2013–2018 and 2021). The show has won the award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) four times, for the 2005 episode "Best Friends Forever",[180] the 2006 episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft",[186] the 2009 episode "Margaritaville", and the 2012 episode "Raising the Bar".[187] The "Imaginationland" trilogy of episodes won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More) in 2008.[188]

Criticism

The show's frequent depiction of taboo subject matter, general toilet humor, accessibility to younger viewers, disregard for conservative sensibilities, negative depiction of liberal causes, and portrayal of religion for comic effect have generated controversy and debate over the course of its run.[189]

As the series became popular, students in two schools were barred from wearing South Park-related T-shirts,[18][22][32] and the headmaster of a UK public school asked parents not to let their children watch the programme after eight- and nine-year-old children voted the South Park character Cartman as their favorite personality in a 1999 poll.[190] Parker and Stone assert that the show is not meant to be viewed by young children, and the show is certified with TV ratings that indicate its intention for mature audiences.[22] In 1999, they went on record to cancel the release of the Game Boy Color game based on the series, as Parker and Stone determined that a game based on an adult animated series would be inappropriate for a console whose core demographic consisted of children.[191]

Parents Television Council founder L. Brent Bozell III and Action for Children's Television founder Peggy Charren have both condemned the show, with the latter claiming it is "dangerous to the democracy".[18][165][192][193] Several other activist groups have protested the show's parodies of Christianity and portrayal of Jesus Christ.[18][194] Stone has stated that parents who disapprove of South Park for its portrayal of how kids behave are upset because they "have an idyllic vision of what kids are like", adding "[kids] don't have any kind of social tact or etiquette, they're just complete little raging bastards".[32][190]

Controversies

Main article: South Park controversies

The show further lampooned the controversy surrounding its use of profanity, as well as the media attention surrounding the network show Chicago Hope's singular use of the word shit, with the season five premiere "It Hits the Fan",[195] in which the word shit is said 162 times without being bleeped for censorship purposes, while also appearing uncensored in written form.[37] In the days following the show's original airing, 5,000 disapproving e-mails were sent to Comedy Central.[48] Despite its 43 uncensored uses of the racial slur nigger, the season 11 episode "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" generated relatively little controversy, as most in the black community and the NAACP praised the episode for its context and its comedic way of conveying other races' perceptions of how black people feel when hearing the word.[196][197]

Specific controversies regarding the show have included an April Fools' Day prank played on its viewers in 1998,[198] its depiction of the Virgin Mary in the season nine (2005) finale "Bloody Mary" that angered several Catholics,[35] its depiction of Steve Irwin with a stingray barb stuck in his chest in the episode "Hell on Earth 2006", which originally aired less than two months after Irwin was killed in the same fashion,[199][200] Comedy Central's censorship of the depiction of Muhammad in the season 10 episode "Cartoon Wars Part II" in the wake of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy[194] and consistent mockery of the concept of climate change by using climate change denialist talking points.[201][202][203]

The season nine (2005) episode "Trapped in the Closet" denounces Scientology as nothing more than "a big fat global scam",[194] while freely divulging church information that Scientology normally only reveals to members who make significant monetary contributions to the church.[204] The episode also ambiguously parodies the rumors involving the sexual orientation of Scientologist Tom Cruise, who allegedly demanded any further reruns of the episode be canceled.[199][205] Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist, later quit South Park because of his objection to the episode.[206]

The season fourteen episodes "200" and "201" were mired in controversy for satirizing issues surrounding the depiction of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. The website for the organization Revolution Muslim, a New York-based radical Muslim organization, posted an entry that included a warning to creators Parker and Stone that they risk violent retribution for their depictions of Muhammad. It said that they "will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show". The posting provided the addresses to Comedy Central in New York and the production company in Los Angeles.[207] The author of the post, Zachary Adam Chesser (whose alias is Abu Talhah al-Amrikee),[208] said it was meant to serve as a warning to Parker and Stone, not a threat, and that providing the addresses was meant to give people the opportunity to protest.[209][210]

Despite Chesser's claims that the website entry was a warning, several media outlets and observers interpreted it as a threat.[211][212][213] Comedy Central censored the episode's broadcast in response, by bleeping out several speeches and covering Mohammed's appearances with a giant "censored" label.[207] Support for the episode has come in the form of Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, a movement started on Facebook that encourages people to draw Muhammad on May 20.[214] The "200" episode, which also depicted the Buddha snorting cocaine, prompted the government of Sri Lanka to ban the series outright.[215]

Due to many taboo topics in China—such as Dalai Lama, Winnie the Pooh,[216] labor camps, freedom of speech and cannabis culture—being involved in the season 23 (2019) episode "Band in China", South Park was entirely banned in China after the episode's broadcast. The series' Baidu Baike article, Baidu Tieba forum, Douban page, Zhihu page and Bilibili videos have been deleted or inaccessible to the public, all related keywords and topics have been prohibited from being searched and discussed on China-based search engines and social media sites including Baidu, QQ, Weibo and on WeChat public platforms.[217][218][219] Parker and Stone issued a sarcastic apology in response.[220][221]

Legacy

Cultural

Commentary made in episodes has been interpreted as statements Parker and Stone are attempting to make to the viewing public,[222] and these opinions have been subject to much critical analysis in the media and literary world within the framework of popular philosophical, theological, social, and political concepts.[26][222][223] Since South Park debuted, college students have written term papers and doctoral theses analyzing the show,[55] while Brooklyn College offers a course called "South Park and Political Correctness".[224][225]

Soon after one of Kenny's trademark deaths on the show, other characters would typically shout "Oh my God, they killed Kenny!", followed by another yelling out "You bastard(s)!"—these lines were usually said by the characters Stan and Kyle, respectively. The exclamation quickly became a popular catchphrase,[11] while the running gag of Kenny's recurring deaths is one of the more recognized hallmarks among viewers of modern television.[226][227] Cartman's exclamations of "Respect my authori-tah!" and "Screw you guys ...I'm going home!" became catchphrases as well, and during the show's earlier seasons, were highly popular in the lexicon of viewers.[228] Cartman's eccentric intonation of "Hey!" was included in the 2002 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases.[229]

In the season two episode "Chef Aid", attorney Johnnie Cochran uses what's called in the show the Chewbacca defense, which is a legal strategy that involves addressing plot holes related to Chewbacca in the film Return of the Jedi rather than discussing the trial at hand during a closing argument in a deliberate attempt to confuse jurors into thinking there is reasonable doubt. The term "Chewbacca defense" has been documented as being used by criminologists, forensic scientists, and political commentators in their various discussions of similar methods used in legal cases and public forums.[230][231]

Another season two episode, "Gnomes", revolves around a group of "underpants gnomes" who, as their name suggests, run a corporation stealing people's underpants. When asked about their business model, various gnomes reply that theirs is a three-step process: Phase 1 is "collect underpants". Phase 3 is "profit". However, the gnomes are unable to explain what is to occur between the first and final steps, and "Phase 2" is accompanied by a large question mark on their corporate flow chart. Using "????" and "PROFIT!" as the last two steps in a process (usually jokingly) became a widely popular Internet meme because of this.[232][233] Especially in the context of politics and economics, "underpants gnomes" has been used by some commentators to characterize a conspicuous gap of logic or planning.[234][235]

When Sophie Rutschmann of the University of Strasbourg discovered a mutated gene that causes an adult fruit fly to die within two days after it is infected with certain bacteria, she named the gene kep1 in honor of Kenny.[236][237][238] Similarly, when a mutated ortholog of KIAA1109 was also found for said species that inhibited their ability to stand upright, walk, and caused seizures, indicative of severe neurological defects, a different set of researchers named it Tweek in honor of Tweek.[239]

Political

Main article: South Park Republican

While some conservatives have condemned South Park for its vulgarity, a growing population of people who hold center-right political beliefs, including teenagers and young adults, have embraced the show for its tendency to mock liberal viewpoints and lampoon liberal celebrities and icons.[240] Political commentator Andrew Sullivan dubbed the group South Park Republicans, or South Park conservatives.[40][241][242] Sullivan averred that members of the group are "extremely skeptical of political correctness but also are socially liberal on many issues", though he says the phrase applied to them is meant to be more of a casual indication of beliefs than a strong partisan label.[16][40] Brian C. Anderson describes the group as "generally characterized by holding strong libertarian beliefs and rejecting more conservative social policy", and notes that although the show makes "wicked fun of conservatives", it is "at the forefront of a conservative revolt against liberal media" and Hollywood's "liberal hegemony".[240][243]

Parker and Stone reject the idea that the show has any underlying political position, and deny having a political agenda when creating an episode.[36][242][244] The two claim the show's higher proportion of instances lampooning liberal rather than conservative orthodoxies stems simply from their preference for making fun of liberals.[16][73] While Stone has been quoted saying, "I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals", Stone and Parker have explained that their drive to lampoon a given target comes first from the target's insistence on telling other people how to behave.[195] The duo explain that they regard liberals as having both delusions of entitlement to remain free from satire, and a propensity to enforce political correctness while patronizing the citizens of Middle America.[39][40] Parker and Stone are uncomfortable with the idea of themselves or South Park being assigned any kind of partisan classification.[36][242] Parker said he rejects the "South Park Republican" and "South Park conservative" labels, feeling that either tag implies that one only adheres to strictly conservative or liberal viewpoints.[35][240] The duo has in the past reluctantly labeled themselves libertarians and fans of government gridlock. In 2006, they said that they were "rooting for Hillary Clinton in 2008 simply because it would be weird to have her as president".[243]

Franchise

For more information about films, shorts, music and merchandising, see South Park (franchise). For more information about video games, see List of South Park video games.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Since 2021, television specials have been released on Paramount+.
  2. ^ Formerly Token Black; retconned in "The Big Fix".

References

  1. ^ Lake, Dave (2009). "The 10 Most Controversial 'South Park' Episodes". MSN TV. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  2. ^ Rosario, Alexandra Del (November 18, 2021). "'South Park: Post Covid': Stan & Kyle Are Adults In First-Look Teaser For Paramount+'s Thanksgiving Movie Event – Update". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  3. ^ Muhammad, Latifah (November 24, 2021). "How to Watch the 'South Park: Post Covid' Special Online for Free". IndieWire. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  4. ^ "HBO Max Lands Exclusive Streaming Rights to South Park from South Park Digital Studios, A Joint Venture Between Viacom and South Park Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone". Pressroom (in Spanish). October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  5. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (January 20, 2023). "'South Park' Season 26 Sets Premiere Date on Comedy Central". Collider. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time". September 24, 2013. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Griffiths, Eric (June 21, 2007). "Young offenders". New Statesman. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  8. ^ "City People". South Park. Season 25. Episode 3. February 16, 2022. Comedy Central. We're up in the mountains, about an hour from Denver.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Heffernan, Virginia (April 28, 2004). "Critic's Notebook; What? Morals in 'South Park'?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Jaime J. Weinman (March 12, 2008). "South Park grows up". Maclean's. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Jeffrey Ressner & James Collins (March 23, 1998). "Gross And Grosser". Time. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  12. ^ Rovner, Julie (April 5, 2008). "Eric Cartman: America's Favorite Little $@#&*%". NPR. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2008.
  13. ^ "FAQ: When will the boys be in the fifth grades?". Comedy Central. January 11, 2005. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  14. ^ "FAQ: Are the boys still in 4th grade?". Comedy Central. October 8, 2008. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  15. ^ a b c Raphael, Rebecca (May 22, 1998). "Who is Andrew Philip Kyle?". New Voices. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  16. ^ a b c d e William Cohen (November 4, 2005). "Respect Its Authoritah!". The Cornell Review. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  17. ^ a b Randy Fallows (January 2002). "The Theology of South Park". The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  18. ^ a b c d Fagin, Barry S. (May 2000). "Goin' Down to South Park: How kids can learn from 'vile trash'". Reason. Reason. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  19. ^ "Show Disclaimer". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on July 27, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  20. ^ Antonacci, Christopher (December 12, 1997). "South Park stirs up controversy, laughs". Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on September 21, 2004. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  21. ^ a b c d Carter, Bill (November 10, 1997). "Comedy Central makes the most of an irreverent, and profitable, new cartoon hit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  22. ^ a b c d Huff, Richard (April 16, 1998). "'South Park's' Still Top Dog On Basic Cable". New York Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  23. ^ a b c Sylvia Rubin (January 26, 1998). "TV's Foul-Mouthed Funnies". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  24. ^ Bernstein, Abbie (October 27, 1998). "South Park – Volume 2". AVRev.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
  25. ^ a b Jake Trapper & Dan Morris (September 22, 2006). "Secrets of 'South Park'". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  26. ^ a b Johnson-Woods 2007, pp. 89–103
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Devin Leonard (October 27, 2006). "South Park creators haven't lost their edge". CNN. Archived from the original on November 7, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  28. ^ a b Blacker, Terence (January 5, 1999). "Crude, violent – but quite brilliant". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "The growth of trash TV concerns media watchers". The Augusta Chronicle. May 5, 1998. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  30. ^ Acosta, Belinda (August 17, 2001). "Screens: TV Eye". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  31. ^ Kiesewetter, John (May 20, 1998). "South Park' way crude for kids". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  32. ^ a b c d e Dennis Lim (March 29, 1998). "Television: Lowbrow and proud of it". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  33. ^ Kligman, David (March 1, 1998). "South Park: Funny, crude ... and a trendy favorite". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  34. ^ a b c d Frazier Moore (December 14, 2006). "Loud and lewd but sweet underneath". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  35. ^ a b c d e f Hancock, Noelle (March 24, 2006). "Park Life". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  36. ^ a b c d e McFarland, Melanie (October 1, 2006). "Social satire keeps 'South Park' fans coming back for a gasp, and a laugh". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  37. ^ a b c d Wilonsky, Robert (July 26, 2001). "It Happens". Broward Palm Beach New Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  38. ^ a b McFarland, Melanie (September 29, 2006). "Oh my God, 'South Park' killed a decade!". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  39. ^ a b Frank Rich (May 1, 2005). "Conservatives ♥ 'South Park'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  40. ^ a b c d Brian C. Anderson (2003). "We're Not Losing the Culture Wars Anymore". Manhattan Institute. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  41. ^ a b Saunders (July 17, 2006). "At 10, 'South Park' still bites". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  42. ^ Arp and Jacoby, p. 58
  43. ^ "Trey Parker & Matt Stone on Monty Python". YouTube. The Paley Center for Media. September 3, 2010. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  44. ^ Gregoris, Michael (November 9, 2007). "The evolution of South Park". Western Gazette. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  45. ^ "Fox Refused to Take 'South Park' in 1997 Because of One Character, and Something Else as well". Glamour Fame. September 18, 2019. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  46. ^ Ashton, Will (September 17, 2019). "That Time Fox Refused To Pick Up South Park Because Of Mr. Hankey". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  47. ^ Pride, Ray (July 14, 1998). "D'oh! Fox Turned Down "South Park"?". E! News. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  48. ^ a b c d Trey Parker; Matt Stone (March 1, 2002). "Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Larry Divney 'Speaking Freely' transcript" (Interview). Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2007.
  49. ^ a b c Halbfinger, David M. (August 27, 2007). "'South Park' Creators Win Ad Sharing In Deal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  50. ^ a b c d e f g Driver, Dustin. "South Park Studios: No Walk in the Park". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  51. ^ Weinstock & Fallows 2008, p. 227
  52. ^ Rosenberg, Adam (June 19, 2017). "'South Park' TV creators can beam their work directly into 'The Fractured But Whole'". Mashable. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  53. ^ a b c d e f g h Matt Cheplic (May 1, 1998). "'As Crappy As Possible': The Method Behind the Madness of South Park". Penton Media. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  54. ^ a b Tanner, Mike (September 3, 1997). "It Ain't Easy Making South Park Cheesy". Wired. Archived from the original on July 20, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  55. ^ a b Zeidner, Lisa (November 19, 2000). "A Study Guide for 'South Park'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  56. ^ "FAQ: How much time did it actually take to make all the actions and drawings of the kids in their anime phase?". Comedy Central. March 19, 2004. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  57. ^ "FAQ: I've read around that South Park episodes can be made in 5 days, but what is the speed record for producing an episode, and which one was it?". Comedy Central. November 15, 2004. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  58. ^ Mantell, Suzanne (Fall 2006). "The wrangler". bcm.bc.edu. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  59. ^ Fleming, Michael (April 19, 2009). "Fox folding Atomic label". Variety. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  60. ^ Grego, Melissa (April 4, 2002). "Liebling ankles her Comedy post". Variety. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
  61. ^ "The Making of South Park". South Park Scriptorium. Archived from the original on September 10, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  62. ^ Carther, Bill (December 30, 1997). "South Park Cartoon is a hit for Comedy Central". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 32. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  63. ^ a b Jesse McKinley (April 10, 2003). "Norman Lear Discovers Soul Mates in 'South Park'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  64. ^ Moore, Roger (August 20, 2008). "Movie Review: 'Hamlet 2' – 3 stars out of 5". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  65. ^ Sellers, John (June 1, 2002). "A Fun Woman: Nancy Pimental". Esquire. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
  66. ^ Keveney, Bill (March 17, 2003). "TV icon Norman Lear is goin' down to 'South Park'". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  67. ^ "South Park Boys Hit 100 Episodes; Norman Lear To Collaborate On New Season". Animation World Network. March 13, 2003. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  68. ^ Smith, Michael (October 16, 2009). "Hader and Harjo: Tulsa talents keep on making must-sees". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  69. ^ Bierly, Mandi (April 3, 2009). "Bill Hader: The EW Pop Culture Personality Test". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  70. ^ Cavna, Michael (September 2009). "The 'Riffs Interview: 'SNL's' Bill Hader Embraces His Inner Nerd for 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  71. ^ Weinman, Jaime J. (April 23, 2007). "South Park has a silent partner". Maclean's. Archived from the original on July 6, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
  72. ^ a b "40 Questions". South Park Studios. October 4, 2001. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2009.
  73. ^ a b Jake Trapper & Dan Morris (September 22, 2006). "Secrets of 'South Park'". ABC News. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  74. ^ Stephen M. Silverman (2000). "'South Park' Salutes Elian". People. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  75. ^ Kate Aurthur (April 2, 2005). "'South Park' Echoes the Schiavo Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  76. ^ "FAQ: December 2003". southparkstudios.com. December 19, 2003. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  77. ^ Fickett, Travis (November 6, 2008). "How South Park Pulled off "About Last Night..."". IGN. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  78. ^ "Episode 1704 will not air tonight". Comedy Central. October 16, 2013. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  79. ^ "FAQ: April 2001". Comedy Central. March 18, 2001. Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  80. ^ "Part 2: Storyboard". Comedy Central. Spring 2009. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2009.Video interview with show storyboard artist Keo Thongkham
  81. ^ Abbie Bernstein (October 27, 1998). "South Park – Volume 2". AVRev.com. Archived from the original on July 18, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2008.
  82. ^ "FAQ: May 2001". Comedy Central. May 14, 2001. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  83. ^ Evil (July 26, 1999). "The Ars Technica South Park interview". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on March 26, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  84. ^ ""Make Love, Not Warcraft": Q&A with Frank Agnone, J.J. Franzen, and Eric Stough". Machinima.com. November 15, 2006. Archived from the original on August 5, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  85. ^ "Major Boobage: Behind The Scenes". Comedy Central. December 2008. Archived from the original on July 29, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  86. ^ a b c "Who does the voices for the characters on South Park?". Comedy Central. April 23, 2002. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  87. ^ Bonin, Liane (November 22, 1999). "South Park must continue without its lead female performer". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  88. ^ "April Stewart – ABOUT". aprilstewart.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  89. ^ "MY BIO:::: Eliza Jane". elizaschneider.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  90. ^ "FAQ: April 2001". Comedy Central. April 30, 2001. Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  91. ^ "FAQ: November 2003". Comedy Central. November 21, 2003. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  92. ^ "Ike FAQ Archives". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
  93. ^ a b c d Stephanie Jorgl (2005). "South Park: Where The Sound Ain't No Joke!" (PDF). Digizine. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  94. ^ "South Park FAQ". Comedy Central. February 10, 2009. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2009.
  95. ^ "FAQ: June 2001". Comedy Central. June 28, 2001. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
  96. ^ Trey Parker, Matt Stone. Goin' Down to South Park (Television documentary). Comedy Central.
  97. ^ Richmond, Ray (May 25, 2007). "Buffer 'rumbles' his way to the top". Doghouse Boxing. Archived from the original on October 17, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  98. ^ Mink, Eric (February 4, 1998). "South Park on religion: unbelievably tasteless – & funny". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  99. ^ Albee, Dave (March 4, 2007). "Lavin enjoying work with legendary broadcaster". www.marinij.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  100. ^ Leonard, Tom (March 20, 2009). "Jay Leno profile: When Big Ears met Big Chin". London: telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  101. ^ a b Williams, Scott (January 20, 1998). "Park won't mess with excess". New York Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  102. ^ "Radiohead drawn into South Park". news.bbc.co.uk. July 5, 2001. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  103. ^ a b Basham, David (October 11, 1999). "Korn To Premiere New Track During "South Park" Special". MTV. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  104. ^ Cashmere, Paul (March 5, 2009). "Cheech and Chong Will Make Another Movie". www.undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on October 19, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  105. ^ "FAQ: November 2008". Comedy Central. November 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  106. ^ "FAQ: April 2001". Comedy Central. April 20, 2001. Archived from the original on March 28, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  107. ^ Mink, Eric (April 5, 2000). "South Park rules but schedule bites". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  108. ^ Barnes, Brooks; Cathcart, Rebecca (August 13, 2008). "Getting Out the Vote, Keeping Up With Youth". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  109. ^ Philby, Charlotte (August 30, 2008). "My Secret Life: Peter Serafinowicz, Actor and comedian, age 36". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  110. ^ a b "FAQ: October 2001". Comedy Central. October 27, 2001. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  111. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 13, 2009). "Exclusive: Henry Winkler Talks Sit Down, Shut Up". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  112. ^ Reed, Jasper (June 15, 1998). "Where Seinfeld's a turkey". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  113. ^ a b c Arp and Broman, pp. 236–49
  114. ^ Goldwasser, Dan (December 5, 1998). "Eating Cheesy Poofs with Adam Berry". Soundtrack.net. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  115. ^ "Cast and Crew". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2009.
  116. ^ "South Park Studios FAQ". Comedy Central. September 2001. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
  117. ^ "FAQ: March 2002". Comedy Central. March 27, 2002. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  118. ^ Ohanesian, Liz (March 20, 2008). "Paul Robb: Leading a Double Life". Santa Monica Mirror. Archived from the original on September 16, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  119. ^ "South Park Studios FAQ". Comedy Central. August 18, 2008. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  120. ^ South Park in India shuts, runs into trouble in US too Archived February 21, 2022, at the Wayback Machine. Hindustan Times. Serena Menon. June 22, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2022
  121. ^ Pillai, Pooja (May 12, 2009). "Comedy, censored". The Indian Epress. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  122. ^ "SBS Special Broadcasting Service". www.perthsites.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  123. ^ "Only in Canada, You Say?". ctvmedia.ca. September 12, 2007. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  124. ^ O'Mahony, Catherine; Larragy, Simon (October 7, 2007). "TG4 gives South Park early evening slot: ThePost.ie". archives.tcm.ie. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  125. ^ Graham, Jane (June 22, 2009). "Brace yourself Scotland: STV has some depressingly cliched programme ideas". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
  126. ^ Waller, Ed (April 28, 2009). "South Park heads north". C21 Media. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  127. ^ Perry, Kevin (September 17, 2020). "Exclusive: SBS Says Goodbye To Classic Comedy South Park". TV Black Box. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  128. ^ English, Laura (September 17, 2020). "SBS Cancels 'South Park' After 23 Years". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  129. ^ "Debmar Studios Acquires Broadcast Syndication Rights To Comedy Central's(R) 'South Park'" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  130. ^ a b Grossberg, Josh (July 30, 2004). "Oh My God! "South Park" Syndicated". E! Online. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  131. ^ Frankel, Daniel (August 28, 2005). "Sanitized 'Sex,' 'South Park' all set". Variety. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  132. ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10153203466813562&set=a.432067978561&__cft__[0]=AZWwdlMFfUYss0UHYc7MPAGUB3-bL2krSEHMMqZ2TIq9hyuRH7hDQJH9q8V5KwpxQkZ8yMSlTFC9xmqbs64LPfOsvXbKBTMnUB0BNVQjf0Okeqwet0JYLcfvjyizcQADDkMSZwUNxE-c77gKOBLOBSPUuplLKC_gZqAweb-kAhEsOUBgjqKTTYoWGEe5qL_8TB9tGhWuA9aBBsolKBrTjegI&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
  133. ^ "South Park". SNTA. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  134. ^ Rose, Lacey; Streib, Lauren (February 25, 2009). "Cash for Trash". Fobes. Archived from the original on February 28, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
  135. ^ Petski, Denise (April 3, 2019). "Debmar-Mercury Inks Multi-Year Deal With CBS TV Distribution For Ad Sales". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  136. ^ Hayes, Dade (August 5, 2021). "'South Park' Creators Trey Parker & Matt Stone Ink Big ViacomCBS Deal, With Comedy Central Renewal, 14 Original Movies On Paramount+". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  137. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (August 5, 2021). "Paramount Plus Orders 14 'South Park' Movies, Comedy Central Renews Series Through Season 30". Variety. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  138. ^ Hart, John; McFadden, Kay; Simanton, Keith (May 20, 1999). "Videos". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 15, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  139. ^ Robinson, Tasha (March 19, 2008). "Trey Parker & Matt Stone". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  140. ^ "South Park: Imaginationland Will Bring the Laughs on DVD on March 11". MovieWebb. January 17, 2008. Archived from the original on October 18, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  141. ^ Chitwood, Scott (March 11, 2008). "DVD Roundup: 3.11.08 Blu-ray and DVD Review". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  142. ^ Lambert, David (December 15, 2008). "South Park – Cartman, Stan, Kyle & Kenny go Hi-Def with 12th Season Set on DVD & Blu-ray". TVShowsonDVD. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  143. ^ a b Lambert, David (November 3, 2017). "South Park – Short Delay for Blu-ray Releases of 'Season 1' through 'Season 5'". TVShowsonDVD. Archived from the original on November 5, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  144. ^ Lambert, David. "South Park – Press Release: Blu-ray Sets for the First 11 Seasons of the Show!". TVShowsonDVD. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  145. ^ a b ""South Park" Creators Trey Parker And Matt Stone And Comedy Central Launch The All-New Southparkstudios.com". South Park Studios. March 25, 2008. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  146. ^ Jardin, Xeni (October 8, 2008). "BB Exclusive: Sneak Peek At South Park's Sweet, Yet-Unreleased iPhone App". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  147. ^ South Park Studios Germany Archived February 15, 2017, at the Wayback Machine: "Due to copyright and other legal reasons, South Park video content cannot be viewed outside the United States."
  148. ^ For instance, southpark.de Archived May 20, 2021, at the Wayback Machine in Germany.
  149. ^ "SouthParkStudios.co.uk Has Arrived". South Park Studios. September 26, 2009. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  150. ^ Boshra, Basem (March 27, 2008). "South Park: Now streaming". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  151. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (July 12, 2014). "'South Park' to Stream Exclusively on Hulu Plus". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  152. ^ "Every Episode. Every Season. SOUTH PARK Launches Exclusively on CraveTV this Canada Day, July 1 –". Bell Media. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  153. ^ "HBO Max Announces South Park's Arrival Date". CBR. May 24, 2020. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  154. ^ Low, Elaine (October 29, 2019). "HBO Max Wins 'South Park' Streaming Rights for Over $500 Million". Variety. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  155. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (February 4, 2022). "South Park Season 25 Now Streaming on HBO Max". ComicBook. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  156. ^ Warner, Sam (February 16, 2022). "South Park is set to get a new worldwide streaming home". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on February 16, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  157. ^ Tinoco, Armando (September 5, 2024). "'South Park' Returning In 2025; Why Creators Are Skipping Donald Trump Jokes About Election & "Waiting For Paramount To Figure Their Sh** Out"". Deadline.com. Penske Media Group. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  158. ^ Maruf, Ramishah (February 26, 2023). "'South Park' lawsuit: Warner Bros. Discovery sues Paramount for $500 million". CNN. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  159. ^ a b c Goldman, Eric (January 13, 2009). "South Park Now in HD". IGN. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  160. ^ The South Park Studios website.
  161. ^ "FAQ: Just saw new SP DVDs at Target. Are those special releases?". South Park Studios. April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  162. ^ Surpless, Brendan. "Previous seasons of the hit series "South Park" are being re-rendered in full 1080p High Definition". High Def Disc NEws. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  163. ^ Hunt, Bill (November 14, 2017). "South Park: The Complete Fifth Season (Blu-ray Review)". The Digital Bits. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  164. ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson-Woods 2007, pp. 6–8
  165. ^ a b David Horowitz (July 19, 1999). "Why Gore would censor "South Park"". Salon. Archived from the original on October 8, 1999. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  166. ^ "Cartman Goin' South?". Wired. April 27, 1999. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  167. ^ "2011 Ratings Release". Comedy Central. December 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  168. ^ Tiger Woods Scandal Helps "South Park" Set Ratings Record Archived August 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine PopCrunch. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  169. ^ Katz, Josh (December 27, 2016). "'Duck Dynasty' vs. 'Modern Family': 50 Maps of the U.S. Cultural Divide". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  170. ^ "100 Greatest Cartoons". Greatest series. February 27, 2005. Channel 4. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  171. ^ Poniewozik, James (September 6, 2007). "All-TIME 100 TV Shows: South Park". Time. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  172. ^ Grigoriadis, Vanessa (March 22, 2007). "Still Sick, Still Wrong". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  173. ^ "The New Classics: TV". Entertainment Weekly. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  174. ^ "50 Best TV Comedies – Ever". AOL TV. April 1, 2008. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  175. ^ "25 Greatest Animated TV Series: You Ranked 'Em!". Entertainment Weekly. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  176. ^ "TV Guide's 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time". CNN. July 30, 2002. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  177. ^ Mansour (2005), p. 144.
  178. ^ "The 100 Greatest TV Characters". Bravo. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2007.
  179. ^ Brian Bellmont (November 1, 2005). "TV's top 10 scariest characters". Today. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  180. ^ a b "South Park Awards". about.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2008.
  181. ^ 65th Annual Peabody Awards Archived February 27, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, May 2006.
  182. ^ Schneider, Michael (June 3, 2013). "Exclusive: TV Writers Choose the 101 Best-Written Shows Ever; What Was No. 1?". TV Guide. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  183. ^ Sands, Rick (September 24, 2013). "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  184. ^ "The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. September 16, 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  185. ^ Basile, Nancy. "South Park Awards". about.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
  186. ^ "59th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2007. Archived from the original on September 6, 2007. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  187. ^ "Creative Arts Emmys: HBO's 'Behind the Candelabra' wins the night" Archived October 17, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times. September 16, 2013.
  188. ^ "2008 Creative Arts Emmy winners" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 13, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2008.
  189. ^ Lawrie Mifflin (April 6, 1998). "TV Stretches Limits of Taste, to Little Outcry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  190. ^ a b "Cartman top with kids". BBC. August 26, 1999. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
  191. ^ LoChiatto, Jonathan (August 7, 2021). "How South Park's First Handheld Game Became a Mary Kate & Ashley Tie-In". CBR. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  192. ^ Bozell, L. Brent III (February 11, 1998). "'South Park' Reconsidered, Sort Of". MediaResearch.org. Creators Syndicate. Archived from the original on December 5, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
  193. ^ Frank Rich (May 1, 2005). "Conservatives ♥ 'South Park'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  194. ^ a b c Jake Trapper & Dan Morris (September 22, 2006). "Secrets of 'South Park'". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved April 18, 2009.
  195. ^ a b Gillespie, Nick; Walker, Jesse (December 5, 2006). "South Park Libertarians". Reason. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  196. ^ Vanessa E. Jones (January 29, 2008). "No offense, but ..." The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  197. ^ Transcript of "Paula Zahn Now" from March 8, 2007 Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. CNN. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  198. ^ Huff, Richard (April 9, 1998). "Not an Eternity to Cartman Paternity". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  199. ^ a b O'Doherty, Ian (November 10, 2006). "How Kenny survived 10 years of South Park". www.independent.ie. Archived from the original on September 5, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  200. ^ Kent, Paul & Gee, Steve (October 28, 2006). "To hell with Irwin, says South Park". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  201. ^ Rozsa, Matthew (November 8, 2018). "South Park apologizes to Al Gore and admits it was wrong about global warming". Salon. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  202. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (November 14, 2018). "12 years after mocking Al Gore's fight against climate change, South Park reconsiders". Vox. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  203. ^ Wolfson, Sam (November 11, 2018). "South Park's Al Gore apology contains an inconvenient truth: it's funny". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  204. ^ Reitman, Janet (February 22, 2006). "Inside Scientology". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 13, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  205. ^ Hilden, Julie (December 6, 2005). "Could Tom Cruise Sue "South Park" For Suggesting He is Gay? And Even If He Could, Should He?". FindLaw. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
  206. ^ "Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park'". Fox News. Associated Press. March 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  207. ^ a b Bland, Archie (April 22, 2010). "'South Park' censored after death threats from Islamists". The Independent. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  208. ^ Miller, Joshua Rhett (April 23, 2010). "Road to Radicalism: The Man Behind the 'South Park' Threats". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 27, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  209. ^ Lister, Tim (April 19, 2010). "Security Brief: Radical Islamic Web site takes on 'South Park'". CNN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
  210. ^ Miller, Joshua Rhett (April 20, 2010). "South Park Creators Could Face Retribution for Depicting Muhammad, Website Warns". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  211. ^ Cooper, Anderson (April 20, 2010). "Radical Islamists Threaten 'South Park' Creators; More Volcano Eruptions Ahead". Anderson Cooper 360°. New York City. CNN. Full transcript.
  212. ^ O'Reilly, Bill (April 20, 2010). South Park Episode Prompts Death Threats. The O'Reilly Factor. New York City: Fox News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  213. ^ Cavna, Michael (April 20, 2010). "Comic Riffs – 'South Park': Is pro-jihad website threatening cartoonists over Muhammad satire?". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  214. ^ "South Park Declares Jihad On the Handicapped!". Lineboil. April 28, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  215. ^ "American Television Depicts Buddha Snorting Cocaine – The Sunday Leader". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  216. ^ Brito, Christopher (October 8, 2019). ""South Park" creators offer fake apology to China after reported ban". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  217. ^ "諷刺迫害人權 喜劇動畫《南方四賤客》遭中國封殺". Liberty Times. October 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  218. ^ "全面下架！動畫《南方四賤客》因嘲諷中國在中國遭封殺". SET News. October 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  219. ^ "美《衰仔樂園》涉小熊維尼佩奇人權及教育營最敏感而在華遭全面封殺". RFI. October 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  220. ^ Victor, Daniel (October 8, 2019). "'South Park' Creators Offer Fake Apology After Show Is Erased in China". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  221. ^ "South Park banned in China for new episode, 'Band In China'". Tone Deaf. The Brag. October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  222. ^ a b Weinstock & Fallows 2008, p. 165
  223. ^ Hanley, Richard, ed. (March 8, 2007). South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating. Open Court. ISBN 978-0-8126-9613-4.
  224. ^ Montefinise, Angela (November 30, 2008). "South Park No Lark at B'klyn College". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  225. ^ "Students Respect Authori-tay Of 'South Park' Class". NPR. December 13, 2008. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  226. ^ Kaplan, Don (April 8, 2002). "South Park Won't Kill Kenny Anymore". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  227. ^ "Word, Charged Find a Savior". Wired. April 27, 1998. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  228. ^ Anthony DeCeglie & Sarah Blake (September 14, 2007). "TV comedy sends WA students 'Jonah'". Perth Now. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  229. ^ Dale, David (December 28, 2002). "The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  230. ^ Swienton, Anjali R.; Kenneally, Erin (February 24, 2005). "Poking the Wookie: the Chewbacca Defense in Digital Evidence Cases" (PDF). SciLaw Forensics, Ltd. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2007.
  231. ^ Weiner, Ellis (January 24, 2007). "D is for Diabolical". HuffPost. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  232. ^ VanHooker, Brian (December 14, 2023). "The 25 Greatest South Park Memes". Cracked. Archived from the original on June 20, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  233. ^ O'Donnell, Dan (October 4, 2023). "Matt Gaetz, Underpants Gnome. The Art Of Performative Conservatism". MacIver Institute. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  234. ^ Bret Stephens (May 26, 2009). "Obama and the 'South Park' Gnomes". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  235. ^ Matt Yglesias. "Small Government Egalitarianism". Think Progress. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  236. ^ Maugh II, Thomas H. (August 5, 2002). "Playing the Name Game". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  237. ^ "FlyNome". Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  238. ^ Marco Di Fruscio; Sylvia Styhler; Eva Wikholm; et al. (February 18, 2003). "kep1 interacts genetically with dredd/Caspase-8, and kep1 mutants alter the balance of dredd isoforms". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 100 (4): 1814–1819. Bibcode:2003PNAS..100.1814D. doi:10.1073/pnas.0236048100. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 149916. PMID 12563030.
  239. ^ Verstreken, Patrik; Ohyama, Tomoko; Haueter, Claire; Habets, Ron L.P.; Lin, Yong Q.; Swan, Laura E.; Ly, Cindy V.; Venken, Koen J. T.; De Camilli, Pietro; Bellen, Hugo J. (July 30, 2009). "Tweek, an evolutionary conserved proteinis required for synaptic vesicle recycling". Neuron. 63 (2): 203–215. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2009.06.017. ISSN 0896-6273. PMC 2759194. PMID 19640479.
  240. ^ a b c Winter, Bill. "Trey Parker – Libertarian". The Advocates. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  241. ^ Cohen, William (November 4, 2005). "Respect Its Authoritah!". The Cornell American. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
  242. ^ a b c John Tierney (August 29, 2006). "South Park Refugees". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 23, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  243. ^ a b Tierney, John (August 31, 2006). "South Park Refugees". Reason. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  244. ^ Matt Stone & Trey Parker Are Not Your Political Allies (No Matter What You Believe) Archived October 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine by Alex Leo, HuffPost, February 25, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2022

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Park&oldid=1265902292"