In the year 1969, a bunch of British comedians, with the help of clever satire, silly humour, a deep meaning, irreverence paved the way for modern comedy. Now there have been many works of art, which have replicated this with perfection like Rick and Morty, The Simpsons and even Deadpool to some extent. However, the tv show that we will talk about today, isn’t just any tv show. It’s number 33 on Rolling Stones 100 TV Shows of all time. It’s currently going to have its 24th season on the air in September and still are fresh and relevant to this date. We are going to talk about a show set in a small town of Colorado, created by the geniuses, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, called South Park.
A show so controversial, the banned episodes are worth the hype. Their worst episodes are probably better than any great episode by an average sitcom. Their humour hits the right Pythonesque marks and has even given room for more comedies like it to emerge and think about how life is. (I.e Rick and Morty).
However, I feel like it’s not just a comedy, but one of the best masterclasses on filmmaking. Regardless of being worth $500 million each, they still don’t get recognized at the same level as someone like Martin Scorsese, who is also a legend, but these guys also deserve the same status. Let’s analyze why these python heads deserve as much recognition as any legendary filmmaker.
Premise
The premise is pretty simple. It’s a show which shows the crazy happenings in the world from the eyes of a bunch of 4th graders. It shows us how adults try to make sense in life when there exactly isn’t any meaning to it. It stays up to date with its political affairs and uses satire to a level so extreme it makes it silly yet so layered at the same time.
It’s crude, lude, blasphemous and very rude. But it hasn’t stopped the world or critics from calling it the greatest show of all time and showering it with love. The comedy is one of the smartest and should be used by filmmakers more often. Their ability to take on subjects people wouldn’t and talk about topics people are afraid to talk about is what drives the show.
Southpark’s bold choices to show that animals can have homosexual tendencies, you can be both right and wrong to being PC in today’s times, you can be religious and be genuinely caring and can be an atheist and be an asshole. Usually, people would like to joke about something that is trending. These people would make a different version of the joke.
Their premises mostly include famous people doing random shit which makes them look stupid even if they think that what they are doing is some kind of a genius (i.e Mel Gibson)
They take simple stories and make complex characters and premises out of it and even till this date they have been doing it so well.
Animation
South Park has a very distinct style of animation, unlike some lazy shows (ahem.. Paradise PD.. ahem).
South Park animation isn’t the world’s best or most aesthetic animation, or at least wasn’t initially. In the first episode, Trey Parker and Matt Stone did the whole episode with the help of stop motion animation. They had the option of doing a different type of animation which could be considered better by a lot but sticking to this animation made it more funny, hilarious, distinct and faster to deliver within 6 days. They usually have 6 days to deliver an episode, and unlike Family Guy or Simpsons, South Park gets written & animated, and sent over to the network – Comedy Central by Wednesday. The next working day, they start over again. Creating such a distinct animation and making almost exact look-alikes of celebrities with this animation is truly commendable.
Characters and voice
People usually have talents of doing certain voices in shows. Trey Parker and Matt Stone almost voice all the characters.
Other than having an amazing storyline, the characters in the show truly remain with you. The 4 young men Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny are a treat to watch. Every one of them has something exceptional that separates them from the different children around them. Stan is a standard child, who in some way or another needs to hurl at whatever point he sees somebody he likes.
Kyle is the main Jewish child around, Cartman is by all accounts dismally fat and Kenny is incredibly poor.
Other than these shallow qualities, they vary likewise in the sort of people they are.
● Stan is a cool person that individuals love to spend time with.
● Kyle is caring and cherishes his younger sibling Ike(even however Ike’s adopted).
● Cartman is a racist, hippie detesting egomaniac, and Kenny can be known as a deviant of sorts, as in a scene he should have passed on from autoerotic suffocation.
Aside from the significant characters, even the optional characters are given enough weightage in the show. Some of them, like Butters, had their own one of a kind episode.
Other great characters include Randy Marsh, Stan’s father who is almost as irrational as Cartman, Mr Mackey, a bobblehead who tries to be a smart counsellor and of course Mr./Mrs. Garrison.
Other celebrities like Tom Cruise, Kanye West and Mel Gibson, etc are all voiced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Bill Hader, April Stewart, and Eliza Schneider mostly do the other voices. They aren’t imitators, they do have their own touch in every imitation, yet it feels real.
Verdict
More than a review, this is more of a love letter. This happens to be a thank you note. Comedy has been a prevalent subject matter to talk about since the time of Aristotle. A lot of people use comedy to tell stories about the “and then” theory. These geniuses have taught a lot to filmmakers, like the “but” and “therefore” theory. This is me saying Thank you to South Park and its creators, for making me fall in love with filmmaking and comedy. People should look at this show more and get inspired. Rick and Morty and other shows have achieved greatness, But somehow South Park will always hit the right notes and always selflessly make this show for themselves and still make a huge audience laugh.
If you still don’t want to watch it you will have to respect their “authoritah!”
The entirety of South Park can be accessed at South Park Studios.
