South Park
From The TV IV
| South Park | |
 | |
| Premiere | August 13, 1997 |
| Finale | |
| Airs | Wednesdays at 10PM |
| Creator | Trey Parker, Matt Stone |
| Network | Comedy Central |
| Style | 30-minute animated comedy |
| Company | South Park Studios |
| Episodes | 167 (through season 11) |
| Seasons | 12 |
| Status | Renewed through 2011 (season 15) |
| Origin | USA |
South Park (1997–present) is the groundbreaking animated program which launched Comedy Central into mainstream popularity. The series, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, centers around four young boys who spout profanity and get into adventures ranging from the sick to the weird to the completely insane. However, the show is best known for its dark, absurdist humor and use of heavy-handed satire to lampoon current events.
The series got its start in 1991 when the two creators made a short film that included characters resembling what would become the South Park characters. The short made the rounds, eventually catching the eye of FOX executive Brian Graden, who commissioned the two to make what would become infamously known as The Spirit of Christmas in 1995. This second short eventually was the genesis for the series after FOX passed on the idea of airing it on their network. It was picked up and aired in late 1997 on Comedy Central, where it was an overnight success. At its height, the series reached Simpsons levels of popularity. It got to the point where merchandise from the series was banned from many public schools, paralleling the early 1990s when the same reaction was taken in response to Bart Simpson merchandise.
The series continued to evolve and change over the years, culminating in the production of a South Park feature film entitled South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut as well as technological advancements which allowed production of episodes be sped up to taking less than a week to build an episode. The use of the Maya animation system allows South Park to be as topical as a news show. The series most notably used this ability on It's Christmas in Canada which parodied Saddam Hussein's capture mere days after it occurred.
The series is currently renewed up through season 15, meaning it will continue through at least 2011.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Character | Duration | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Cast | ||||||||||||
| Trey Parker | Stan Marsh | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Eric Cartman | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| Matt Stone | Kyle Broflovski | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| Kenny McCormick | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ||
| Mary Kay Bergman | Wendy Testaburger | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Eliza Schneider | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |||
| Isaac Hayes | Jerome "Chef" McElroy | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
[edit] Seasons
| Season | Premiere | Finale | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comedy Central | |||
| Season One | August 13, 1997 | February 25, 1998 | 13 |
| Season Two | April 1, 1998 | January 20, 1999 | 18 |
| Season Three | April 7, 1999 | January 11, 2000 | 17 |
| Season Four | April 5, 2000 | December 20, 2000 | 17 |
| Season Five | June 20, 2001 | December 12, 2001 | 14 |
| Season Six | March 6, 2002 | December 11, 2002 | 17 |
| Season Seven | March 19, 2003 | December 17, 2003 | 15 |
| Season Eight | March 17, 2004 | December 15, 2004 | 14 |
| Season Nine | March 9, 2005 | December 7, 2005 | 14 |
| Season Ten | March 22, 2006 | November 15, 2006 | 14 |
| Season Eleven | March 7, 2007 | November 14, 2007 | 14 |
| Season Twelve | March 12, 2008 | — | 14 |
[edit] In-Depth
- At a Glance: Additional information about the series
- Characters: A listing of characters on the show
[edit] DVD Releases
[edit] External Sites
- Official website for South Park Studios
- South Park TV Listings, Episode Guide, Photos, Message Board, Cast and More at TVGuide.com
Categories: Renewed show | Program | Comedy Central | Animated | Comedy | Colorado | 1990s | 2000s | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 1997 Premieres | TIME Magazine's 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME | IVy Awards/2006/Nominees | IVy Awards/2007/Nominees | IVy Awards/2006/Winners | IVy Awards/2007/Winners | South Park
