With âSouth Parkâ scheduled to return for its 17th season on September 25, 2013 after nearly an entire year off, we realized that the showâs absence has not only left us with a major void in the comedy department, but without biting social commentary, as well. Every year, the showâs creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone skewer at least a few major events, celebrities, or beliefs of a large group of people, and at least part of the fun is guessing which topics will be tackled next. Moreover, which of the showâs digs will end up causing some sort of public outcry has become the other major draw, as certain viewers can be offended by something that seems so minor to most, while obviously offensive subject matter to the majority will slip through the cracks. In this article, weâll attempt to recap as many of the showâs major controversies as we can recall, as well as give a few huge examples of jokes that somehow came out on the other side unscathed, even by the overly critical.
Season 1
Obviously we donât plan to go through every season episode by episode, but during âSouth Parkâsâ first year, it was so fresh, and yet so ludicrous and vulgar to many, that almost every episode was fraught with controversy. It was the perfect template for the many categories of controversy that would become commonplace
for the show. From the initial pilot episode, which was panned by most critics as âsophomoric, gross, and unfunnyâ (Orlando Sentinel), the show couldnât make a move to establish itself and its brand of humor without pissing someone off. Some episodes, like âBig Gay Alâs Big Gay Boat Ride,â were criticized for their themes or messages by certain groups before they even aired. Audiences began to realize Jewish jokes would be a recurring theme around âPinkeye,â and celebrities such as Sally Struthers and Barbara Streisand took offense to the way they were portrayed and the shows general sense of humor respectively. âSouth Parkâ was even accused of plagiarism by âThe Ren & Stimpy Showâ creator, John Kricfalusi, for the character of Mr. Hanky, and threatened with legal action by the U.S. Postal Service for use of their logo. But all of that was just the beginning.
Language
Clearly, this show has a potty mouth. In recent years, theyâve been able to be even more vulgar with their language, as words like âshitâ are often allowed depending on the time the episode airs. Since the harsh language has become commonplace for the show by now, most of the time
it doesnât even draw much attention. When it does, however, it can be a bit baffling. For example, in the Season 5 premiere episode, âIt Hits the Fan,â where the show said the word âshitâ uncensored a record-setting 162 times (200 if you include when it was written), no one seemed to mind. Co-creator Matt Stoneâs take was âNo one cares anymoreâŚThe standards are almost gone. No one gives a shit or a bullshit.â Yet, in the Season 13 episode âThe F Wordâ (referring to âfagâ), reception was much more harsh, as many felt it was used with less tact. Even Season 11âs âWith Apologies to Jesse Jacksonâ drew little to no flack for its repeated use of the word ânigger.â So as far as the showâs language is concerned, itâs hard to gauge what will stir the pot and what wonât.
Religion
Religion is the hottest button of all hot buttons, âSouth Parkâ-related or not. But when the show does mock the beliefs of a certain group of people, it is sure to illicit at least some blowback every time. Even when they arenât so much mocking a religion, but presenting it as-is in episodes such as Season 7âs âAll About Morm
onsâ (which resembles their later Broadway musical âThe Book of Mormonâ) or Season 10âs âTrapped in the Closetâ (which weâll review other aspects of later), they still draw a lot of negative attention from that particular group. Of course, the Muhammad controversy involving showing the prophet uncensored in the shows âCartoon Warsâ set of episodes in Season 10 and â200â and â201â in Season 14 drew the most controversy of all and even resulted in death threats to Parker and Stone from radical Muslim groups. Ultimately, the character was censored, even though the show had already showed him in a Season 5 episode titled âSuper Best Friends,â which received very little attention at the time.
Politics
Of the top two topics most people steer clear of if they want to avoid an argument, politics would be the other one right behind religion. âSouth Parkâ refuses to steer away from any subject, and that is why the showâs creators are such great satirists. While most of the time, their views on political issues are met with great praise due to how they handle the subject matter (Season 9âs âBest Friends Foreverâ comes to mind), more often than not they end up upsetting other countries instead of anyone here in the U.S. A perfect example would be the Season 3 premiere, âRainforest Shmainforest,â which upset the Costa Rican government when the Cartman character said it smelled âlike assâ and was portrayed as full of prostitutes and other such trashy people. Of course, the observations made were actually just the sentiments of creator Trey Parker after a bad vacation there, but that excuse still didnât fly. Most recently, the show upset Russian LDPR member and Deputy of State Duma Vladimir Dengin after last yearâs episode âA Scause for Applauseâ included Jesus wearing a âFree Pussy Riotâ t-shirt, which he felt sought to further humiliate the Russian Orthodox Church.
Celebrity Parodies
As mentioned before, often times celebrities are parodied on âSouth Park.â While many are either honored by being roasted by the show or even occasionally humbled by their portrayal, as
Kanye West claimed to be before interrupting Taylor Swifts acceptance speech at the VMAs mere months after being satirized in Season 13âs âFishsticksâ episode, sometimes celebrities take their licks a bit too personally. Obviously, âClosetgateâ (which is what the L.A. Times dubbed the controversy and backlash from Season 9âs âTrapped in the Closetâ episode) is the most highly recognized example of this, as not only did Tom Cruise allegedly get the episode pulled from the airwaves, but it resulted in Isaac Hayes leaving the series for making light of his and Tom Cruiseâs religion, Scientology. There have been other celebrity beefs as well, including but certainly not limited to evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins being upset about his portrayal âbuggering a bald transvestiteâ in Seasons 10âs two-part âGo God Goâ story and outcry for the poorly timed Steve Irwin joke in the same seasonâs âHell on Earth 2006,â even though âSouth Parkâ wasnât alone.
General Lewdness/Poor Taste
Sometimes, good old-fashioned potty humor and insensitivity can be enough for some to take a cartoon a little too seriously. A few of the more shining examples of such episodes include Season 3âs âWorld Wide Recorder Concert,â Season 5âs âProper Condom Use,â Season 7âs âKrazy Kripples,â and Season 12âs âThe China Probrem,â in which fictional character Indiana Jones is shown being physically raped by directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to illustrate just how bad Parker and Stone thought the fourth installment in the film franchise was. But in the end, no harm; no foul. However, the Season 9 âGinger Kidsâ episode has probably drawn the most flack in this department, as it was partially blamed for inciting young, ignorant bullies to participate in âKick a Ginger Dayâ several years after the episode aired.
Legal Action
It can be quite perplexing how âSouth Parkâ manages to get away with parodying so much copy written material on a week-to-week basis, but letâs just chalk that up to a stellar legal department and a great understanding of fair use laws on their end to save time. But just because they are pretty sly when it comes to this sort of thing, it doesnât mean there havenât been a few instances of legal action brought against the show. Sur
ely, every âSouth Parkâ fan is aware of the massive amount of well-known characters used in their âImaginationlandâ saga. Strangely enough, though, it only spawned one lawsuit that ultimately went nowhere. Season 12âs âCanada on Strikeâ was also targeted for a copyright infringement lawsuit due to its recreation of the YouTube video âWhat What (In the Butt),â but was dismissed as well due partially to the fact that revenue lost could only be measure in Internet dollars, and hence had no commercial value, much like the episode itself joked about.
Creative Integrity/Plagiarism
Last but not least, sometimes controversy derives simply from fans either expecting too much, or more often than not, complaining when something isnât up to par with what they would expect or want it to be. Of course, in the case of the episode âInsheeption,â in which creators Trey and Matt actually admitted to lifting dialogue verbatim from a CollegeHumor sketch based on the film âInceptionâ due to the fact that they believed the dialogue from the sketch was itself lifted from the film verbatim, complaints about expecting more from the show were somewhat justified. However, in most other cases, dating all the way back to Season 1âs âDamienâ episode in which fans began inexplicably accusing the creators of âselling out,â itâs just a matter of geeky fanboys being too picky and not realizing the show isnât theirs to critique, as the creators can and will continue to do whatever they please. The same could be said for Season 2âs April Foolsâ Day prank episode âTerrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anusâ and Season 4âs âPip.â When you read too much into a show that is meant to satirize and make you laugh first and foremost, much like fans did after Season 15âs âYouâre Getting Old,â youâre bound to cause controversy where there should be none.