# The "South Park" movie on Comedy Central **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356 "2003-07-05T06:16:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/21 "2003-07-06T03:09:08Z")
They’re playing it again tonight in … 4 hours and 45 minutes so you can see the sponsers again. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/22 "2003-07-06T03:23:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Murcielago \* > \*\*There has been some debate on whether censored material is actually funnier than uncensored. IMO _South Park_ is funnier uncensored because it is still surprising to see those words coming from cartoon children. > \*\* I used to think this. Then I saw the movie. Much funnier than the series. ---
**Author:** ![theendisnear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a4c791/32.png) [@theendisnear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theendisnear)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/23 "2003-07-06T03:23:28Z")
I seemed to recall there being alot fewer commercials than normal, maybe it was just my imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/24 "2003-07-06T03:28:10Z")
They seemed to play the commercials every half-hour (versus 10 or 15 minutes intervals of a regular broadcast), and there seemed to be about double the “normal” amount of commercials during a break. I also recall a lot of commercials for Comedy Central itself, which leads me to believe that they couldn’t find too many sponsors to get involved. One sponsor I do recall, however, is X-box. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/25 "2003-07-06T04:07:00Z")
I can go back and look. I had TiVo record it. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/26 "2003-07-06T05:28:09Z")
This is the first time I’ve seen the movie, and frankly, I fail to see why the US would be pissed off at all the Baldwins being killed? ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/27 "2003-07-07T05:18:15Z")
Let me explain “safe harbor” to everyone. From 10 pm to 6 am, broadcasters are completely exempt from the FCC rules against broadcasting indecency. Comedy Central faced absolutely no risk from the FCC by showing this movie uncensored late at night. The only risk was that advertisers might pull their dollars or people would stop watching Comedy Central. They even could have put it on at 8, and it would not have to be censored, because the FCC is passive, not active; they do not prior-restrain any broadcasters. But if they did put it on at 8 and a lot of people complained, then they’d get hit with a pretty big fine. The radio station playing George Carlin’s routine didn’t get in trouble until a father and son heard the program and filed a complaint. Same deal with NYPD Blue. After 10 pm, it’s not the FCC that ABC fears, it’s advertisers and audiences. They very well could make NYPD Blue into the Sopranos, but if advertisers got cold feet and backed out (or if they got flooded with letters from angry people), I don’t think they’d be too keen to air the show for free. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/28 "2003-07-07T05:28:28Z")
the FCC doesn’t control cable tv, though, so it doesn’t matter. (Unless I’m mistaken.) ---
**Author:** ![Murcielago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Murcielago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Murcielago)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/29 "2003-07-07T08:17:49Z")
Never meant to imply that the FCC his imposed strict guidelines concerning speech, that gets into to morass of “community standards” and other vagueries. Standards and Practices at ABC are the people to whom _NYPD Blue_ creators must answer. My point was that the FCC has specific jurisdiction over the broadcast stations as they are part of the “public airways.” By controlling licenses and acquisitions, they can effectively screw a company without ever facing them in court. Cable channels don’t face the same danger. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356/30 "2003-07-07T09:55:50Z")
My OP was merely admiration for Comedy Central. That they felt okay about airing a movie (three nights in a row) like “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.” Said film having been “R” rated by the MPAA for being just so darn offensive to them, you know? As **Palikia** once said, after viewing it in a theatre, “That’s the dirtiest movie I’ve ever seen.” I believe the fact that the TV rating system is now fairly established in the US has a lot to do with it’s being okay to broadcast that flick… …and it’s just so much fun to see L’il Saddam waving dongs at Satan on basic cable. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-south-park-movie-on-comedy-central/186356.md?page=1)