# What's so great about South Park? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 13, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810 "2005-11-13T02:49:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/1 "2005-11-13T02:49:58Z")
I don’t watch much TV, but a few months ago a friend brought Family Guy to my attention. After a few episodes, I was hooked - the show is hilarious. I was reading about it on the web one day, and found the following passage talking about the opinion South Park’s creators have of the show. > [@](#): > > South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have expressed their discontent at being put at the same comedic level as “Family Guy”. When questioned about the meanest thing anyone ever said to them, Stone replied “When people say to me, ‘God, you guys have one of the best shows on television. You and Family Guy.’ That fucking hurts so bad.” to which Parker agreed: “Very well said. It’s such a kick in the balls.” I was intrigued. I’d never watched any South Park, but I had always heard positive things about it, and reading this made me wonder if it really _was_ better than Family Guy. So, I borrowed a DVD from a friend and watched a few episodes. And they were are all effing crap. Stupid low-grade humor. I forced myself to chuckle a few times, but that was it. There were a few attempts that I suppose could be weakly categorized as “social satire”, but they were just that: weak. And obvious. The episodes were just half-hour segments of poorly animated, hard to see, hard to understand characters tottering around swearing, making stupid comments, and doing stupid things. Granted Family Guy has that too, but somehow in that context it’s actually funny. In South Park, it’s just…stupid. Am I missing something? Why is this show so damn popular? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/2 "2005-11-13T03:01:43Z")
The crude animation is on purpose. It’s cheap to do and changes can be made (and have been made) up to the day the show is to be broadcast. A lot of the popularity stems from the crude animation and the swearing kids. When it premiered, no one had ever seen anything like it. Parker and Stone do make social/politcial/religious commentaries. Sometimes subtle, sometimes not. I’m certainly not going to go the “you get it or you don’t” area because that’s bullshit. You either like or you don’t. There’s nothing to “get”. Besides, trying to explain why something is funny usually takes away what makes it funny. As for the comparison to Family Guy - I don’t know. Both feature crude humor and language, but Family Guy doesn’t take itself too seriously. Comedy is one of those things that is just too subjective. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/3 "2005-11-13T03:02:20Z")
Anyone who kicks Trey and Matt in the balls is aces in _my_ book. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/4 "2005-11-13T03:06:36Z")
Yeah, especially after [_BASE_ketball](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131857/). ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/5 "2005-11-13T03:08:14Z")
I think South Park is funny. It came out when I was about 12 and it was a big deal back then. “Oh my god I can’t Believe they did/said that!” etc. But it’s not as funny as Family Guy though. Family Guy will get me doubling over with laughter, howling. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/6 "2005-11-13T03:14:26Z")
I’m a huge South Park fan - and I agree that it was like nothing else when it debuted. Also re: this: > [@Creators](#): > > South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have expressed their discontent at being put at the same comedic level as “Family Guy”. When questioned about the meanest thing anyone ever said to them, Stone replied “When people say to me, ‘God, you guys have one of the best shows on television. You and Family Guy.’ That fucking hurts so bad.” to which Parker agreed: “Very well said. It’s such a kick in the balls.” This is the beauty of these guys’ humor. It’s very tongue-in-cheek pompous. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/7 "2005-11-13T03:19:53Z")
South Park makes me laugh. Family Guy doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/8 "2005-11-13T03:24:20Z")
> [@PeterWiggen](#): > > This is the beauty of these guys’ humor. It’s very tongue-in-cheek pompous. Reminds me of the movie, where the Mole is detailing all the plans and then at the end saying that Stan and Kyle are responsible for the ‘butfor’, leading to the classic joke… the mole saying it all with a straight face. Got a very tongue-in-cheeck pompous vibe there. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/9 "2005-11-13T03:38:15Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Reminds me of the movie, where the Mole is detailing all the plans and then at the end saying that Stan and Kyle are responsible for the ‘butfor’, leading to the classic joke… the mole saying it all with a straight face. Got a very tongue-in-cheeck pompous vibe there. Complete with a drag of the cigarette. Sweetness. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/10 "2005-11-13T03:42:03Z")
FG and SP are both crude and rude and unapologetic. The biggest difference is that FG leans more toward pop culture references and SP leans more toward social commentary (which may include pop culture references). I find them both funny, personally, but they’re different kinds of funny. What’s great about it is the way it tackles some difficult and normally entirely unhumorous issues. Of course there are fart jokes a-plenty, and a talking piece of crap, and a teacher with breasts so saggy that they hang out the bottom of her blouse, and tons of other sight gags… but there are also subtle jabs at social perspectives on gays and race relations and politics and parents sheltering of their children and sex. I’m sure a bigger fan than I could extend that list tenfold. Plus, from what I’ve read, the songs they do are more than just cutesy, funny limericks, but actually pretty solid musically. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/11 "2005-11-13T04:11:57Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > poorly animated This I have to take issue with. It’s _crudely_ animated, yes, but in a style that, as far as I know, is wholly original and really works well with the whole comedic tone of the show. (I love the way the top of Ike’s head comes off when he talks!) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/12 "2005-11-13T04:13:33Z")
South Park can be pretty hit & miss. Many episodes make me say “Eh”, and others double me over with laughter. I’ve tried to watch Family Guy and can’t, because the lead character Peter Griffin infuriates me so. I’ve watched The Simpsons for years, and while Homer Simpson can be stupid, clueless and sometimes insensitive, I’ve never thought Homer was an asshole. Beyond the imbecility there’s some real decency there. By contrast, Peter makes me want to beat him with a steel pipe, especially the way he treats his wife Lois. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/13 "2005-11-13T04:15:27Z")
**soulmurk** pretty much nailed it: Behind the cheap, rude façade there is a good deal of intelligent social commentary. The episode where they parody the whole Terri Schaivo drama was hilarious and, surprising for a TV show, morally ambiguous. What’s better is that the show can deliver a message without being preachy or unfunny: There are no crappy ‘Very Special Episodes’ of the kind that have marred almost every other long-running series. Saying it’s better than nearly everything else on TV would be damning with faint praise. It’s a very good series and has been since its inception. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/14 "2005-11-13T04:27:24Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > The crude animation is on purpose. It’s cheap to do and changes can be made (and have been made) up to the day the show is to be broadcast. \ > Comedy is one of those things that is just too subjective. The animation just [looks cheap](http://www.everwonder.com/david/southpark/animationsp.html) It actually a really high end system, that is used to make the show look like they are still using construction paper. And yes, comedy is subjective. ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/15 "2005-11-13T04:31:50Z")
South Park, for me, is the most hit or miss show of all time. They go so over the top and go to such extremes that episodes tend to be either hilarious or horrible. I’ll admit that half the humor at times can be the shock value (“Scot Tenorman Must Die” from season 4 had me bowling over with laughter, but I’m sure it wouldn’t get the same result with repeated viewings). Their social satire can be pretty astute; the Wal-Mart episode comes to mind. (Of late, though, I think they’ve gotten a wee bit preachy with their social commentary.) Anyways, it’s perfectly possible that you just happened to see some of their bad episodes. Or, as others have been saying, maybe you just don’t happen to like that kind of humor. Family Guy I actually haven’t seen too much of; what I’ve seen was alright, I guess, but didn’t leave me wanting to seek out more. (I share some of Lumpy’s annoyance with Peter.) I don’t really understant, though, why it gets such extreme reactions from people – people really seem to feel passionate about loving it or hating it. I will say, though, that it does seem unprofessional for the South Park guys to slam it like that. (Interestingly, I listened to a commentary on one of their DVDs, and they had nice things to say about the Simpsons.) At its very best, the Simpsons is better than either show. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/16 "2005-11-13T05:26:05Z")
I watched the show for a little while, but the social commentary got to be so moronic that I was really put off the show. Plus, too many poop jokes. I never find those funny. There were some good episodes though, and the movie was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/17 "2005-11-13T13:46:35Z")
I agree with Rodgers01. South Park is uneven. Sometimes one of the characters will say something that is utterly the truth. It has bitingly satirical moments, but you have to wait for them. I watched Family Guy a few times and eh, it’s ok. A lot of my fifth graders love Family Guy. But so many of the references in the show, would go way over their heads, so I don’t get that. Like Rodger01 said, _The Simpsons_, when good, is better than both those shows. But, lately _The Simpsons_ has just been, well, tired. Even my 11 year old daughter asks, “Why isn’t the Simpsons good anymore?” ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/18 "2005-11-13T14:41:18Z")
The only comedy my kids were never able to turn me on to. I love nearly everything else that Parker and Stone have done but _South Park_ is simply devoid of any engaging content. It isn’t clever, it isn’t funny and it isn’t smart. Each time I watched an episode I felt dumber for having done so. ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/19 "2005-11-13T15:55:21Z")
You got a DVD? Aren’t the DVDs of the first few seasons only? those were mostly poop jokes. It was the whole point, the whole Stan throwing up on wendy all the time. Meh. They’re funny but not amazing. The good stuff is in the later seasons (but not the latest, so far it’s lackluster). Basically when they get into smarter humor than they used to. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810/20 "2005-11-13T16:24:58Z")
They’re up to season 5 with season 6 soon to be released. And there was lots of funny stuff in the earlier seasons. The episodes that will age better are the ones that aren’t political satire. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-south-park/330810.md?page=2)