this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2025
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Television

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[–] d00phy@lemmy.world 81 points 1 week ago (19 children)

Wow, people still watch South Park!? I’m sure they’re still killing it. Just kind of fell off the radar for me.

[–] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 69 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

Not really killing it imo. Most episodes are extremely "both sides"-y which makes them have this milquetoast approach to issues and an unclear perspective. The jokes are often kind of cringe, imo, and the whole thing feels very bland. So its like a political/social satire comedy show that is designed by committee to make mild japes at both sides but not make them too uncomfortable.

It used to be an edgy comedy show (sometimes too edgy for mainstream audiences both then and now) that would lambast social and political figures, but it wasn't just a satire show - it had a separate identity from that. And it was funny, usually. It pushed a lot of boundaries - the media was always talking about South Park as though it was this super scary show that will turn your kids into hooligans and destroy the moral fiber of the country and should be banned.

So maybe it's partly that you can't easily be a super rebellious standout show pushing the envelope every week for 27 years, that they wanted to appeal to mainstream audiences and adopted this bland centrist viewpoint, and that the media landscape is full of edgy-ish comedy shows these days and so it's harder to stand out.

I am by no means a huge SP fan though and have not watched but like 3 seasons since the old days. So if this take is off and the show has gotten more interesting I'd like to know

[–] 1SimpleTailor@startrek.website 52 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (8 children)

South Park has always been Right Wing. Trey and Matt are self proclaimed "Libertarians". There's a significant overlap in the Venn Diagram of Joe Rogan bros and South Park fans. "They make fun of both sides bro" and yet some of their most enduring cultural contributions are downplaying climate change and dehumanizing trans people.

They may clutch their pearls about MAGA now, but their promotion of political apathy among Gen X and Millennial men is part of why we have MAGA.

[–] kadaverin0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 19 points 1 week ago

I remember there was a brief moment in the early 00s where the term "South Park Republican" had some cultural cachet until everyone realized it was just edgy libertarianism for contrarian shitheads.

[–] Cethin@lemmy.zip 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Aren't they former libertarians? I feel like I heard they realized they were idiots and changed, but I could be wrong.

[–] 1SimpleTailor@startrek.website 16 points 1 week ago

Its possible. I recall reading somewhere that they regret the ManBearPig episode. Good on them for being able to change and grow.

Still, unfortunately the damage has been done.

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[–] stoly@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week ago

Don't forget that Al Gore made them sad and they created Manbearpig as a response. It was some decades later that they admitted that they were wrong on the topic of climate change and regretted what they did.

[–] LePoisson@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Watch the most recent episode. I, like you, don't really watch South Park anymore but holy shit was it funny.

The Trump stuff killed it. The callback to Saddam, the absurdity of everything going on, the show really hit the nail on the head of how it feels in America right now.

[–] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I will & will report back

Edit: yeah it's definitely an improvement

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[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I liked it more in the early days before every episode revolved around current events and people. Like the dodgeball tournament episode, aliens giving anal probes, the kids getting ninja weapons from the fair, or Scott Tinnerman and how he shouldn't have fucked with Cartman.

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[–] stoly@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago (3 children)

They don't do regular seasons anymore, and haven't for several years. Instead, they will do some special episodes each year on a specific topic. These are more like miniseries than regular episodes and I have enjoyed them.

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[–] VoldemortsHorcrux@lemmy.world 23 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Honestly the latest seasons were fabulously on topic, well worth the watch in my opinion

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[–] DrFistington@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It got much harder to watch after it left comedy Central. It switches networks constantly

[–] Microw@piefed.zip 30 points 1 week ago

I'm still watching it in the same place where I've always watched it 🏴‍☠️

[–] Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I don't even know how to watch it, I would if I could.

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[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The very first sentence of the article...

South Park kicked off its 27th season on Wednesday after a hiatus of almost two and a half years

[–] PleaseLetMeOut@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

Yeah, they moved from streaming on Comedy Central (and southpark.com, which was free) to Paramount (which is paid). It's been a shit show ever since, limited to 6 episodes or so a season (if you're lucky). Then the hiatus after Covid and the specials. It's been a rough ride, but they're still kicking.

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[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 70 points 1 week ago (36 children)

After their season long "both sides" trump/clinton fuckery in 2016, best I can do is a slow clap.

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[–] groovyplane@lemmy.world 41 points 1 week ago (4 children)
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[–] arsCynic@beehaw.org 40 points 1 week ago (5 children)

God I love Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Been watching South Park since I was a kid and they haven't stopped delivering.
Their Trump mockery went stratospheric at the end which caused me to jump around the living room in sheer exhilaration.
South Park - s27e01 - Trump Epstein

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[–] zeroday@lemmy.blahaj.zone 32 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I wish that they actually eviscerated him.

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[–] But_my_mom_says_im_cool@lemmy.world 30 points 1 week ago (1 children)

They’re doing an 8 billion merger and 1.5 of it goes to Matt and Trey, god damn those two are swimming in cash

[–] VitoRobles 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Kind of crazy because South Park wasn't super relevant for years. Yeah, South Park still gets views and attention. But after all this, South Park is back in the forefront.

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[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 25 points 1 week ago (1 children)
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[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

They removed his organs!?

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