On April 14, Comedy Central's "South Park" aired its 200th episode. The show is currently in its 14th season, and the adventures of Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman still make it one of the funniest shows on TV.
It is hard to believe the show began as a crudely animated short film made by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The short film caught the eye of then small cable network Comedy Central, who opted it for a whole series.
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"South Park" debuted in 1997 under the new TV-MA rating as a dirty cartoon for adults. The show was a hit, putting Comedy Central on the map and spawning tons of merchandise, as well as a feature film in 1999.
The show continued to push the envelope throughout its run. As the series became dirtier, it also became smarter, offering brutal, direct and unforgiving satire on pop culture and current events. The quick production time (episodes are made in only about a week) also allowed it to be timelier than most series'.
This current season has been no exception. The show featured digs on subjects such as Tiger Woods, marijuana legalization and Facebook, while spoofing classic films like "Scarface" and "Tron." One episode that rips on J.D. Salinger and the world of literature fell flat, even though it contained some clever dialogue and ideas.
The 200th episode was the first of a two-part story, which brilliantly combined several elements from past episodes. Characters like Mecha-Streisand, Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand puppet, the malicious gingers, Scott Tenorman and many other celebrities the show made fun of over the years, all made an appearance.
"South Park" was a target of criticism from parenting and religious groups because of its vulgar and offensive content back when the show first aired, but met with little controversy in recent years. This changed after the 200th episode aired.
Making reference to an earlier episode dealing with the Danish Muhammad cartoon controversy, the first part seemingly depicted the Holy Prophet. He was shown wearing a bear costume since depicting him in the flesh is forbidden, but this was still enough for a radical Islamic website to make veiled death threats against Parker and Stone.
When the conclusion aired this past Wednesday (censored by the network to remove all direct reference to Muhammad), it was revealed the character in costume was not the Prophet, but Santa Claus. The show pulled a fast one on the very people they were targeting, and they fell for it, as did the audience.
With a mediocre season last year, "South Park" seemed to be on the decline. This season, though, the series reaffirmed itself as the edgy and hilarious classic fans know and love. Here is to hoping things stay that way for another 200 episodes and beyond.South park dvd is on sale at www.cartoon77.com
It is hard to believe the show began as a crudely animated short film made by creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The short film caught the eye of then small cable network Comedy Central, who opted it for a whole series.
a
"South Park" debuted in 1997 under the new TV-MA rating as a dirty cartoon for adults. The show was a hit, putting Comedy Central on the map and spawning tons of merchandise, as well as a feature film in 1999.
The show continued to push the envelope throughout its run. As the series became dirtier, it also became smarter, offering brutal, direct and unforgiving satire on pop culture and current events. The quick production time (episodes are made in only about a week) also allowed it to be timelier than most series'.
This current season has been no exception. The show featured digs on subjects such as Tiger Woods, marijuana legalization and Facebook, while spoofing classic films like "Scarface" and "Tron." One episode that rips on J.D. Salinger and the world of literature fell flat, even though it contained some clever dialogue and ideas.
The 200th episode was the first of a two-part story, which brilliantly combined several elements from past episodes. Characters like Mecha-Streisand, Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand puppet, the malicious gingers, Scott Tenorman and many other celebrities the show made fun of over the years, all made an appearance.
"South Park" was a target of criticism from parenting and religious groups because of its vulgar and offensive content back when the show first aired, but met with little controversy in recent years. This changed after the 200th episode aired.
Making reference to an earlier episode dealing with the Danish Muhammad cartoon controversy, the first part seemingly depicted the Holy Prophet. He was shown wearing a bear costume since depicting him in the flesh is forbidden, but this was still enough for a radical Islamic website to make veiled death threats against Parker and Stone.
When the conclusion aired this past Wednesday (censored by the network to remove all direct reference to Muhammad), it was revealed the character in costume was not the Prophet, but Santa Claus. The show pulled a fast one on the very people they were targeting, and they fell for it, as did the audience.
With a mediocre season last year, "South Park" seemed to be on the decline. This season, though, the series reaffirmed itself as the edgy and hilarious classic fans know and love. Here is to hoping things stay that way for another 200 episodes and beyond.South park dvd is on sale at www.cartoon77.com
