After 13 Years, ‘South Park’ is a Shadow of Its Former Self

Max Christian ^ | 12 Nov | Max Christian

[chuck_the_tv_out]

I’ve been watching the most recent series of South Park, and like a lot of people, I’m disappointed. There hasn’t been a good ‘South Park’ since ‘Mystery of the Urinal Deuce’.

Coming straight out of Team America’, which is a great movie apart from the usual Parker-Stone self-defeating scene at the end, there was the excellent ‘South Park’ season 9, with ‘Mr. Garrison’s Fancy New Vagina’, a non-PC look at “sex changes", ‘Die Hippie, Die’, a fun episode about hippies, and ‘Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow’, a non-PC look at environmentalists, and then the also-excellent season 10, with ‘Cartoon Wars’, which dealt with Islamic extremism in a way that no other humor show had done, ‘Manbearpig’, in which Al Gore leads the boys into a cave and then tries to kill them with molten lead, and Mystery of the Urinal Deuce’, which took on 9/11 paranoia and Alex Jones claptrap.

But that was three years ago. Since then we’ve seen the abysmal ‘Hell on Earth 2006’, ‘Go God Go’, ‘Queefs’, ‘Fantastic Easter Special’ which features Jesus being stabbed and dying over a period of about half a minute, ‘W.T.F’ which focuses largely on the stupidity of ‘hicks’ who ‘think wrestling is real’, ‘The F-word’ which attempts to redefine the word ‘fag’ as bikers, and now most recently ‘Dances with Smurfs’ which features the Cartman character as a lying manipulative version of Glenn Beck.

There have been a few OK episodes such as ‘Night of the Living Homeless’, and ‘Major Boobage’, but these are merely consolation prizes to the great South Park that it used to be.

Something has drastically changed at South Park Studios. I no longer expect a good show from them, but rather something that any ‘Simpsons’ or ‘Family Guy’ show could put out,

[Darkwolf377]

Major Boobage was hilarious.

[Tolsti2]

This show goes up and down over the years. It’s been mostly down for at least 2 now, with only the occasional bright spot.

But the Simpsons have done that since their 8th season.

[downwdims]

Imaginationland Trilogy was pure genius!

I will agree that it’s not have to see stuff anymore, I do DVR and watch it when I get around to it. Back in the day I would race home (work nights) to watch it first thing when I got home

[USNBandit]

What about the pirate episode? That was great.

[max americana]

They cant all be misses. So does the author think that MARGARITAVILLE (about govt bailouts), FISH STICKS and Butters Bottom Bitch (the hit on ACORN was hilarious) are not modern classics? In our office, grown men still laugh about the Kanye bits.

[o-n-money]

The pirate episode, the coon-these were great episodes. The urinal deuce is one of the best-I agree.

[uncitizen]

I thought W.T.F. had an underlying message about stupid voters who still believe in the system against all evidence or something like that but i’m not sure. It was on in the background while i was freeping and didn’t pay full attention. There seemed to be something there but i don’t think it was just about hicks thinking wrestling was real.

Queefs sucked big time!

[BearArms]

When they make fun of the other guy’s sacred cows, it’s a funny show. When they make fun of your sacred cows, it’s not. South Park is a show that you enjoy a lot more when you possess the skill of being able to laugh at yourself.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

The episode about Scientology and Tom Cruise refusing to come out of the closet was the best episode ever, IMHO! “Yes, they really believe this.”-LOL!

[fieldmarshaldj]

Dead link.

[death2tyrants]

I like Pinewood Derby. Baby Fark McGee-zax...Findland commiting ‘suicide’,lol.

[ko_kyi]

spot on!

[james500]

You know, Max Christian’s work has been pretty weak lately. I no longer expect good articles from him...

I’m joking, of course. I’ve never expected good articles from Max Christian. By the way, who’s Max Christian?

[BallyBill]

I was just thinking how well the show stays "fresh". This weeks episode made me wonder if Glenn Beck is just ripping off Michael Moore's act and if he is, is that wrong? Probably not?

I'm just asking questions.

[CalvaryJohn]

“All About Mormons”.

[Darkwolf377]

I liked the Scientology one. “They really believe this!”

[Stand W]

Oh, Noooo Not a FINran

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Two words - City Chicken.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

original link was
www.newsnmax.com/blog/After_13_Years,_’South_Park’_is_a_Shadow_of_Its_Former_Self_23.html

’ is a valid character in a URL, but the software stripped it out in the redirector link, & replaced it with ’ elsewhere.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“City Chicken”, “All About Mormons”

from the good old days.

“Pinewood Derby. Baby Fark McGee-zax”

any show could have done those things. they’re not bad things, they’re just ordinary things.

“the Scientology one”

yeah it was OK. but the left is against scientology more than anyone, so it was really pretty easy for them to do. That was more than 3 years ago too.

“the coon”

the title was funny. otherwise any show could have done it.

“the hit on ACORN was hilarious”

What hit? It was barely a nudge! all that opportunity & the “hit” was that the office boss was screwing hos.

“MARGARITAVILLE (about govt bailouts)”

It might have been somewhat about govt bailouts, but it was in no way against them. The only real funny part was having “coup” as one of the options on the chicken game.

[Andonius_99]

Two words - City Chicken.

...you forgot City Airlines!

[CharlesWayneCT]

For the South Park Ping List

[CharlesWayneCT]

The mystery of the urinal duece sucked. IT’s been much better this year than last year, although imaginationland was really good.

But I guess they just got upset because SP made fun of Glenn Beck (even while making a passingly nice reference about Sarah Palin).

[Eric Blair 2084]

Anything posted at 3 am on a Friday morning should be taken with a grain of salt. I’ll assume that you want to plead your 21st Amendment Rights....you were probably drunk when you posted it.

[Eric Blair 2084]

SOUTH PARK PING!

Please ping me with any South Park related articles. Thank you! If you want on or off this ping list, please FReepmail me.

This is expected to be a low to medium volume ping list, suck my balls if it's not. *

South Park TV schedule at Comedy Central * Watch episodes online at South Park Studios or South Park Zone *

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South Park products available at Amazon and Comedy Central. * Download South Park episodes in bit torrent format at South Park Complete or MrTwig * Read scripts of South Park episodes at South Park Stuff.com * The South Park Scriptorium, a good all around site for South Park information. * The Wikipedia article on South Park. * Search for previous South Park articles at Free Republic by title or keyword. * List of Ping Lists

[mysterio]

Disagree. South Park’s still awesome.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Show me a comedian, comedy show that only makes fun of one side and I will show you something unfunny that gets canceled....like the half hour newshour on Fox.

[mnehring]

There hasn’t been a good ‘South Park’ since ‘Mystery of the Urinal Deuce’.

Dude, that was only 2 seasons ago.. It isn't like saying they haven't had a good show in a decade. Frankly, Dances with Smurfs was a riot.

[mnehring]

..and for the record, Fantastic Easter Special and The Woodlands Critter Christmas were two of the best episodes ever.

[mnehring]

By the way, who’s Max Christian?

I asked myself the same thing. Apparently, some guy with a blog that has a total of three whole posts. Probably one of Family Guy's writers who got out of the Manatee tank to try to trash SP.

[mnehring]

I guess they just got upset because SP made fun of Glenn Beck

The funny thing about that is, while it is obvious they used Beck in the design of the character (a lot), it also was a rip at Olberman, Matthews, and others in the same field. When you look at the big picture of the episode, I think the Beck connection was a big rope-a-dope.

[glock rocks]

Damned straight.

South Park sucks now. They used to be so much better.

Rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble! Maybe the Mormons, Catholics and Scientologists teamed up to destroy this cornerstone of American civilization! They’re witches!

Witches ALL! Burn them.

BURN THEM!

[My Favorite Headache]

ebb and flow, ebb and flow...it is never consistent....never has been

[Rebelbase]

South Park could score the most watched show of the year if they lampooned Islam. But we know they don’t have the guts for it.

[My Favorite Headache]

The ACORN episode was epic.

[My Favorite Headache]

The Half Hour Newshour can be defined in one word “DUMB”.

[Eric Blair 2084]

It was a lame show because...

A. They only picked on libs
B. They weren’t funny.

Even Jon Stewart who was well left of center did a hilarious piece on ACORN.

[Gene Eric]

>> This show goes up and down over the years. It’s been mostly down for at least 2 now, with only the occasional bright spot.

24 could benefit from an up-cycle. It’s recent PC angle makes it nearly unbearable. In light of Ft Hood, the continuance of the lesson driven PC theme will cause a channel change. I assume another season will air in 2010.

[dynachrome]

“OK episodes such as ‘Night of the Living Homeless’, and ‘Major Boobage’”

Both were classics!

[chargers fan]

Thank you. I’m glad somebody else agrees with me on this. South Park hits all sides. When they hit on the other sides, I laugh my rear off. When they made fun of my side, I laugh at the character traits they point out of conservatives (ie Glenn Beck). If people want to see a show that only makes fun of one side they should watch Family Guy.

[Bogey78O]

That gag was taken from their Mormon episode.

[killjoy]

"The F Word"

Absolutely classic South Park.

[VictoryGal]

Yeah, I loved the pirate episode was great, too. Methinks Max ?Who? is trolling for readership...

[Eric Blair 2084]

I loved them...

Change....change....

[Eric Blair 2084]

This South Park expert is not even on the ping list when I was handed it to me by EveningStar.

Here’s the complete list....

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[Feasor13]

They already tried to lampoon Islam and Comedy Central would not let them do it.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Who is this Max person???

Sorry...I couldn’t disagree more. Margaritaville, with Kyle’s ‘Sermon on the Mount’ and forgiving everyone’s ‘debts’ (but then Obama being given the ‘credit’ *haha* at the end) was genius. Cartman as Glenn Beck? Cartman as a blonde, compulsive abortioner, ‘confessing’ at the WTF microphone...classics.

Smug Alert? Out of the Closet? The Mormon’s Next Door...all perfect.

I coulda lived without the Queefing one.

Is Max a Family Guy writer?

[SlowBoat407]

Rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble rabble!

Dey tuk er jehbs!

[marinamuffy]

Um, I loved “Go, God, Go”. They couldn’t have been harder on Dawkins... and how could you not like the otters of the Allied Atheist Alliance shouting “Science, damn you!” :)