Robin PottratzWhy South Park is the funniest show on television
October 23rd 2008 02:04
It all started in 1997. Comedy Central was a little known cable station that had no marquee programming to sell their network. Then two young troublemakers from Colorado named Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to make a cartoon that used characters made out of construction paper and verbal syntax that had never been used on regular cable. After the first episode, "South Park" became a cultural firestorm, with as many supporters as there were detractors. This show is crude, offensive, and distasteful in everyway...but it is also hands down the funniest show on television and has been since its inception.
So what makes this show so successful? Yes, this show is very well written, well voiced, and has created some of the most memorable characters in television history. What sets "South Park" apart from other shows is simply the balls that this show has that no other show does. What other show would depict a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding...by having her period, mock both scientology and Tom Cruise's rumored sexual ambiguity, and use the N-word in an episode that comically depicts racist white men as victims of prejudice.
One aspect of "South Park's" success has to do with how quickly an episode is written, voiced, animated, and produced. Thanks to computer animation and many long man hours, an episode of "South Park" can be produced within four or five days. This has allowed "South Park" to have the most relevant entertainment programming on television. For example: The emmy award winning episode "Best Friends Forever," which was about frequently dying cast member Kenny being kept alive with a feeding tube, a la Terri Schiavo. What made this particular episode so culturally significant was that it actually aired the week that Terri Schiavo died. Any other television show couldn't possibly have been able to do that since it takes regular entertainment programming months to produce a show. Another example of "South Park's" relevance would be the episode "Osama Bin Laden Wears Farty Pants"...yes that is the actual title. This episode was able to depict the United States' invasion of Afghanistan just days after it began. No other show would have been able to do that.
"South Park's" ability to stay relevant has made the show hilarious and at the top of satire for many years...but it has also ignitied its fair share of controversy. The show has routinely put the various hypocracies in our society up to scrutiny. They have also tackled the taboos in various religions. It has made fun of jewish people, catholics, the nation of islam, and as mentioned before scientologists (this one resulted in a cast member quitting).
The following is a list of a few examples of episodes of "South Park" and their corresponding protests:
"Trapped in the Closet": airing in 2005, this episode depicted the new fad religion of Scientology as ludicrous and show Tom Cruise and John Travolta (2 prominent Scientologists) locking themselves in lead character Stan's closet and refusing to...come out of the closet. After this episode: Comedy Central refused to air the scheduled re broadcast of the episode and the voice of Chef Issac Hayes, a known scientologist, quit the show in protest of his personal beliefs being skewered
"Bloody Mary": airing in 2005, this episode was about Stan's dad suffering from the disease of alcoholism and believing that only the blood of a crying Virgin Mary statue. However, the episode depicted the statue of the Virgin Mary as bleeding...from her rectum...implying that the Virgin Mary was having her period. After this episode: The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights protested the episodes content and again Comedy Central refused to air a scheduled re-broadcast of the episode near the Christmas holiday.
"Cartoon Wars Part I and II": airing in 2006, this episode was an opportunity for creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker to make fun of a show that has been unjustifiably compared to "South Park" in terms of offensive content and comedic efficiency: "Family Guy"...I fucking hate "Family Guy" by the way. Also this show was a way for the creators to vent for the way Comedy Central buckled under the pressure of complaints from religious groups. The part 1 episode ended by saying that they would air part 2...unless Comedy Central would "puss out" again.
Other controversies have come primarily from the conservative media watchdog group The Parents Television Council. These are the following that have come from that group.
"It Hits the Fan" - Where the word "shit" is used over 160 times
"Red Sleigh Down" - This episode depicts the violent death in Iraq of Jesus Christ
"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" - This episode, mentioned earlier, frequently uses the racial term "nigger"
"Proper Condom Use" - This episode depicts teaching sex education to kindergarteners.
This show will continue to ignite controversy until it eventually ends its run. It is this bucking of the traditional norm that has made "South Park" the funniest show on television. This show and its creators are not afraid to offend or make fun of anyone or anything provided that it gives a good laugh. The bravery and poignant stories and lines within this show are the main reasons why no other half hour comedy program can even touch "South Park." In our rediculous entertainment world with frequent paparazzi, 24 hour news, and public figures that become increasingly more rediculous the importance of "South Park" is indescribable. There is no other show that takes a step back and looks at our world with more brash and balls than "South Park," and I think that this is a show that this country needs now more than ever.
So what makes this show so successful? Yes, this show is very well written, well voiced, and has created some of the most memorable characters in television history. What sets "South Park" apart from other shows is simply the balls that this show has that no other show does. What other show would depict a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding...by having her period, mock both scientology and Tom Cruise's rumored sexual ambiguity, and use the N-word in an episode that comically depicts racist white men as victims of prejudice.
One aspect of "South Park's" success has to do with how quickly an episode is written, voiced, animated, and produced. Thanks to computer animation and many long man hours, an episode of "South Park" can be produced within four or five days. This has allowed "South Park" to have the most relevant entertainment programming on television. For example: The emmy award winning episode "Best Friends Forever," which was about frequently dying cast member Kenny being kept alive with a feeding tube, a la Terri Schiavo. What made this particular episode so culturally significant was that it actually aired the week that Terri Schiavo died. Any other television show couldn't possibly have been able to do that since it takes regular entertainment programming months to produce a show. Another example of "South Park's" relevance would be the episode "Osama Bin Laden Wears Farty Pants"...yes that is the actual title. This episode was able to depict the United States' invasion of Afghanistan just days after it began. No other show would have been able to do that.
"South Park's" ability to stay relevant has made the show hilarious and at the top of satire for many years...but it has also ignitied its fair share of controversy. The show has routinely put the various hypocracies in our society up to scrutiny. They have also tackled the taboos in various religions. It has made fun of jewish people, catholics, the nation of islam, and as mentioned before scientologists (this one resulted in a cast member quitting).
The following is a list of a few examples of episodes of "South Park" and their corresponding protests:
"Trapped in the Closet": airing in 2005, this episode depicted the new fad religion of Scientology as ludicrous and show Tom Cruise and John Travolta (2 prominent Scientologists) locking themselves in lead character Stan's closet and refusing to...come out of the closet. After this episode: Comedy Central refused to air the scheduled re broadcast of the episode and the voice of Chef Issac Hayes, a known scientologist, quit the show in protest of his personal beliefs being skewered
"Bloody Mary": airing in 2005, this episode was about Stan's dad suffering from the disease of alcoholism and believing that only the blood of a crying Virgin Mary statue. However, the episode depicted the statue of the Virgin Mary as bleeding...from her rectum...implying that the Virgin Mary was having her period. After this episode: The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights protested the episodes content and again Comedy Central refused to air a scheduled re-broadcast of the episode near the Christmas holiday.
"Cartoon Wars Part I and II": airing in 2006, this episode was an opportunity for creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker to make fun of a show that has been unjustifiably compared to "South Park" in terms of offensive content and comedic efficiency: "Family Guy"...I fucking hate "Family Guy" by the way. Also this show was a way for the creators to vent for the way Comedy Central buckled under the pressure of complaints from religious groups. The part 1 episode ended by saying that they would air part 2...unless Comedy Central would "puss out" again.
Other controversies have come primarily from the conservative media watchdog group The Parents Television Council. These are the following that have come from that group.
"It Hits the Fan" - Where the word "shit" is used over 160 times
"Red Sleigh Down" - This episode depicts the violent death in Iraq of Jesus Christ
"With Apologies to Jesse Jackson" - This episode, mentioned earlier, frequently uses the racial term "nigger"
"Proper Condom Use" - This episode depicts teaching sex education to kindergarteners.
This show will continue to ignite controversy until it eventually ends its run. It is this bucking of the traditional norm that has made "South Park" the funniest show on television. This show and its creators are not afraid to offend or make fun of anyone or anything provided that it gives a good laugh. The bravery and poignant stories and lines within this show are the main reasons why no other half hour comedy program can even touch "South Park." In our rediculous entertainment world with frequent paparazzi, 24 hour news, and public figures that become increasingly more rediculous the importance of "South Park" is indescribable. There is no other show that takes a step back and looks at our world with more brash and balls than "South Park," and I think that this is a show that this country needs now more than ever.
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