Secret of South Park's success?

Question

Why is the show so funny? Every episode seems like a comedic classic. Here is why, in my opinion:

1. Parodies many recent events...one of the most political comedies out there.

2. No remorse. Makes fun of everything. From all types of mental disorders, religious movements, and nationalities, nothing seems out of South Park's grasp.

3. The characters are very sarcastic. Much of the comedy comes from reactions to one another. For instance, something bad would happen. Then, a few seconds of silence. Out of nowhere, Cartman calls out, "Screw you guys, I'm going home!" or "Oh, Goddammit!"

4. Cartman, of course. A true comedic genius.

Why do you think the show could continue to be unbelievably funny - now in its tenth season?

Answer 1

WhenSouth Park first debuted in 1997 I was offended at the idea. While elephants and mating with pigs and old men having sex with chickens was nothing new, (zoophilia has been in movies since the early 1900's, didn't ya' know) South Park's claim to fame was that it was supposed to be a controversial show, exploring the outer regions of caustic satire and testing the boundaries of free speech and political correctness. Like The Simpsons, like Rocky & Bullwinkle, or even approaching the cultural significance of artists like comic book legend Robert Crumb.

However, during the first year or so, South Park hardly mattered. The plots were much less offensive than they were inane. We learned a lot about the sexual kinks of various town characters and we saw Kenny get killed every episode as a running gag. This was hardly groundbreaking. The show owed much more to Peanuts (with its out of the mouth of babes wisdom) and Loony Tunes, which pioneered episodic violence. (Maybe Wiley E. Coyote didn't die in every episode but he sure got the hell beat out of him) While the show did gather some controversy for its language, it was a controversy much less noisy than The Simpsons made in the late 1980's when it introduced adult content to prime time television. (The first cartoon to ever attempt adult content? Way back in 1972 for Fritz The Cat) Beavis And Butthead then took the mantle from The Simpsons for the most offensive cartoon on television and introduced us to potty-mouthed antagonists barely fit to live. South Park in its debut appeared to be just one foul mouthed cartoon too many.

In The Beginning

It's been well documented that creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker skimped on cartoon quality and made characters like Stan, Kyle and Cartman using stop motion cut out animation. Even when their show became a Comedy Central hit and received a notable budget, the animation process stayed the same, with computers reproducing the same simple drawings. The show's originality would lie in the voices and the writing, not in any superb animation or technical prowess. Kids loved South Park because the show featured pint-sized representations of themselves; kids who talked like they talked, said bad words and laughed it up. While it may have found an audience that identified with its irreverent tone, it did not impress many critics, nor even animation fans who had been spoiled by much wittier cartoons such as The Simpsons and even Steven Spielberg's Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs.

Gradually, the winds in Colorado started to chill. Creators Stone and Parker, who were wise to always write and perform every show and not sell the product out to a hundred different people, started to get bored of stomping on ground that had already been demolished for quite some time. They stopped killing off Kenny every episode. They introduced more parodies and featured more celebrity cameos--that were much less cute parodies than they were slanderous gossip. They learned the standards and practices of the network and then methodically broke every rule. Even as their fan based slightly dwindled, the quality of their product improved significantly.

Bigger, Longer & Uncut (We're talking about movies, right?)

Then in 1999 Stone and Parker decided to put together a South Park full length motion picture. Oh no, just what we need, animation enthusiasts moaned. Another compromised, get-rich-quick scheme movie that begs a few dollars from its few remaining fans. And that's when I learned the secret of South Park's success: Stone and Parker do their best work when under intense scrutiny. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was a travesty. The studio pressured the creators to make a PG-13 rated, more fan-friendly product; instead they made an NC-17 freak show. Instead of compromising with the MPAA which found many scenes of sexuality and violence too horrific for even an R rated cartoon, they made fun of the MPAA in the picture. Knowing their product would never be compared to classic animated musicals like Beauty And The Beast and The Lion King, Stone and Parker hired composer Marc Shaiman to write an Oscar-worthy original score for nonsensical and blasphemous songs like "Uncle F_ka" and "Kyle's Mom's A *****." The movie was prepared as a smorgasbord of bad taste; rather than disappoint their fans or the studio, they just decided to offend everyone in existence. The movie poked fun at politics, religion, celebrities, racism, patriotism, obscenity, censorship and violence. They hammered away at sensitive issues so haphazardly, Hollywood and most of the world shrunk back in terror, giving the film almost unanimous praise and even an Oscar nomination for the song "Blame Canada." Critic Roger Ebert, one of the few critics to give the movie an unfavorable rating, commented that, "Trey Parker and Matt Stone had better move on. They've taken South Park as far as it can go and beyond." A fair prediction few would have argued against at the time, but one that proved to be wrong.

Further Controversy

Episodes following the feature film became even more controversial. Stories such as "Scott Tenorman Must Die" and "Here Comes The Neighborhood" pushed the envelope in terms of what could be shown on TV. The episode featuring the character Butters entitled "Jared Has Aides" which highlighted a segment of extreme child abuse, not only offended some viewers but was taken off the air by Comedy Central after one showing. Then on the episode "It Hits The Fan", shown the same week as an NYPD Blue episode featuring the uncensored word "****", South Park used the word 162 times in less than 30 minutes. This record nicely complemented the honor the movie reached, as compiled by The Guinness Book Of World Records, "Most Swearing In An Animated Film" with 399 expletives.

The most recent episodes of the animated series have garnered even more criticism, praise and most recently a worldwide discussion of censorship. In December 2005 the Catholic League For Religious And Civil Rights protested the episode "Bloody Mary" for its depiction of the Virgin Mary. (Yes, a "depiction" meaning a crude looking, paper mache type thing)

On March 15, 2006 the episode "Trapped In The Closet" featuring a spoof of Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology, originally aired on November 2005 was yanked off the air, reportedly to appease offended movie star Tom Cruise, just making the rounds to promote Mission Impossible 3. Comedy Central was heavily criticized for yanking the episode, as was voice over talent Isaac Hayes (as "Chef") who allegedly quit in protest of the edgy treatment of Scientology, which happened to be his religion. The way the press understood it: you could make fun of Christianity but not Tom Cruise. You could make fun of child abuse, starvation and terrorism but not Scientology. A double standard was observed and the show's creators became media martyrs. Stone and Parker were praised by the media as proponents of free (satirical) speech and the episode would later be nominated for an Emmy. As for Chef? He was killed off in the show in the most ruthless way imaginable.

The latest controversy happened over the two part episode in April called "Cartoon Wars" when the issue of censorship was further explored over a depiction of the prophet Muhammad. The episode not only satirized Muhammad, it also took cracks at its animated competition, Family Guy and The Simpsons. Despite the fact that the issue was over censorship and not any negative portrayal of Islam, the network again caved into pressure and censored--not the episode--but the depiction of Muhammad in an episode all about censoring Muhammad. The situation was ridiculous, especially considering what South Park has gotten away with in the past, with its consistent bashing of Christianity and America.

Why It Matters Now

South Park's 15 minutes of fame have come and gone and have now returned and been extended into at least at least 23 minutes of sacrilegious glory. It should come as no great surprise that South Park is the only show on television currently hosting any controversy. Most controversy has been reserved for big feature length films like The Da Vinci Code. It's no coincidence. South Park is the only show on television that offers a strong opinion, albeit a satirical one, and the loudest voices are always the ones we listen to. Ironically, the only other shows on television that come close to eliciting as strong a response from audiences (not counting news shows like 60 Minutes or Nightline) are Family Guy and The Simpsons.

How does South Park earn such controversy? It's not through bestiality jokes or killing off zany characters anymore. The shows creative team, always Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have learned that mainstream society is most sensitive in areas of politics, religion and famous reputations. Realizing this, and feeling the scrutiny of the network, the press and the show's returning fans, they strike back without mercy, like a boxer punching away at his opponent's injured ribs. The show is at once an indictment of both liberal and conservative beliefs. It's the only show where both Michael Moore and George W. Bush can be slandered so severely and with equal time. It works as a sort of comedic "lie detector test" that brings out the worst kind hypocrisy in people, because every sick joke is something very close to a debatable truth. While every other show on television is desperate to keep viewers and lightly tread over political correctness so that everyone (mainly corporations and advertisers) is happy, South Park strives to offend people. It adheres to Stone and Parker's core belief system, namely that freedom of expression does still exist and that if we're to play the free speech game, everyone deserves to be made fun of.

It is a show that is constantly wavering in political and religious ideologies, yet it speaks with resolute confidence and cynicism. To compare it with innovative animated shows of the past like The Simpsons or Fantasia would be missing the point entirely. South Park is not a quality cartoon in the least. Yet, Stone and Parker, now in their career pinnacle, and with their own unique mix of comedy and gut-wrenching horror boiled to perfection, are comparable to such opinionated social mavericks like Spike Lee, Oliver Stone and Lars Von Trier.

The End Of South Park

On September 9, 2005 Stone and Parker signed a deal with Comedy Central for three more seasons to run the show until 2009. It's interesting to note that many of the controversial episodes and the ensuing censorship have taken place after the deal was done. Given all the animosity that's taken place it's very likely South Park will come to an end after the contract expires. Instinct tells us that South Park has hit the fan when it comes to breaking new ground and that everything that can be done has already been done. What else can Stone and Parker hope to accomplish between now and 2009?

But be careful when you taunt Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Whenever the media suggests that they've taken South Park as far as it can go and beyond, that's when the Cartman of their souls truly comes out licking tears away in vengeful sadism. South Park is the most liberated show on television and it can only get worse...much to the network's shame, the media's amusement, the fans' prayers, and lastly, for the triumph of free speech.


Hope this answers your question...

Answer 2

It is because, since the country keeps getting screwed up every day, there is no shortage of things to make jokes about or things to complain about. When you have an incompetent moron running this country, this will always make for great comedy. And any other issue that is well known in this country as well. So, the answer is because when you have people messing this country up or any other issue as well as the fact that people are less sensitive now than years ago, it will always make for great comedy.

Answer 3

South Park brings out what EVERY person keeps locked up inside because we have all been brainwashed in to thinking that ALL those issues are taboo and cannot be talked about.

Answer 4

1

Answer 5

Low budget & no actors fees.....and lots of idiots & stoners who will watch it!

Answer 6

okey then!! u dew that