What is it that makes South Park so amazing after so long? Not many shows last 19 seasons, and even fewer still get good reviews after almost 20 years of filming. The simplistic paper animation paired with complex plot lines and brilliant parodies make for one the best shows to ever air on Comedy Central.
1. It is still funny after 19 seasons.
South Park was originally developed by Trey Parker and Matt Stone as two animated shorts, which later became one of the first viral videos ever. The show was created as a satirical representation of the innocence commonly associated with childhood, paired with wildly adult and offensive humor.
In August 1997, the first episode, “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe” aired on TV. People were extremely offended by the shows obscene references and subject matter, to say the least, and thus initial reviews mainly focused on critiquing the crude content. While some reviews were positive and recognized the show’s genius, it was clear that the majority of the world did not yet understand the true beauty the the show yet.
2. A new episode is made every week.
South Park has been consistently making episodes weekly during their seasons. This enables them to quickly bastardize any recent or relevant news. Shows are up to date and depict political farce of current events, sometimes even predicting outcomes, like in “It’s a Jersey Thing,” or “The Passion of the Jew.”
3. The episodes are impeccably politically relevant.
Because they make an episode every week, the political relevance of South Park is unparalleled by any other animated, comedy show on air. They tie various current events together in absurd ways while also lampooning social trends and fads. In “HUMANCENTiPAD,” the writers paired the horrific movie “Human Centipede,” with an incredible mockery of Apple, their massive following, and their Terms and Agreements Policies that nobody ever reads. The most recent season, Season 19 was packed full of jokes about “PC” (political correctness), Caitlyn Jenner, advertisement companies, immigrants, gentrification, body shaming and other issues that headline today's news sources and Facebook feeds.
4. Nobody is safe.
You can run, but you cannot hide. If you are part of a group, organization, sect, or religion, South Park will demonize you and your people. If there is anything distinctive about your personality or belief systems, South Park will bastardize you. If you fit into a stereotype or if there is a stereotype about your people, South Park will belittle you for it. Even if you are a regular, apathetic, disconnected individual, South Park will rip on you for being just that. This very quality in the show is what makes it so acceptable and hilarious. The writing is racist, bigoted, misogynistic, crude, and derogatory to say the least, but they offend everyone as equally as they can.
5. The writers make fun of people who find the show offensive.
The show is one massive joke. It is a burlesque of everything around us, and sometimes, even itself ("The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs"). If you are offended, take it to heart, or share the extremist opinions the show presents, you are who Parker and Stone are actually making fun of. The writers do not genuinely discriminating against people because of their differences, they are making fun of the people who take the writing literally and share the views of the ridiculous characters. South Park is grim, pathetic, cringe-ey, infuriating, and perhaps most like the real world in these ways.
