Goin' down to South Park... Season 10 discussion

[cartman]

Wow, I don't know which is harder to believe, that it's already been 10 seasons, or that it lasted past the first few episodes!

Well, tonight, at 10pm Eastern/9 Central, the new season begins. And based on all of the stuff in the press last week about Chef and Scientology, I expect some pretty extreme skewering to go on tonight.

[DeToxRox]

SPOILERS POSSIBLY BELOW

Preview as taken from Comcast..





















The 10th season begins with the homecoming of chef Jerome McElroy, though the kids notice he's not quite the same.

[stevew]

Wow, I don't know which is harder to believe, that it's already been 10 seasons, or that it lasted past the first few episodes!

Well, tonight, at 10pm Eastern/9 Central, the new season begins. And based on all of the stuff in the press last week about Chef and Scientology, I expect some pretty extreme skewering to go on tonight.


Supposedly Isaac Hayes had a stroke earlier this year, so the whole "quitting due to scientology" thing is a bit suspect. That April fools day terrence and phillip episode still pisses me off when i think about it.

[bulletsponge]

That April fools day terrence and phillip episode still pisses me off when i think about it.


Sounds like you got "F"ed in the "A"

[Ksyrup]

This is brilliant.

[ISiddiqui]

This is brilliant.

Ditto! I'm laughing my ass off!

[GreenMonster]

Jubes...

priceless

[ISiddiqui]

"Chef's been brainwashed..."

Hehehe

[Ksyrup]

Best. Episode. Ever.

[ISiddiqui]

OH MY GOD! HILARIOUS!

"This is what Super Adventure Club Actually Believes"

[Galaxy]

WOW

[Ksyrup]

This is about as big a mismatch as anyone taking on Quiksand in a limericks competition in the Maximum Football Thread. Hayes, Cruise, and the Scientologists just need to give it up and go home quietly.

[ISiddiqui]

And now Chef goes back to the "fruity little club"! LOL!

[ISiddiqui]

THAT is how you kill off a character!

[ISiddiqui]

LOLOL!

"We should be mad at that fruity little club for scrambling his brains"

[Ksyrup]

That is pure, fucking brilliance.

[ISiddiqui]

DARTH CHEF!

With light spatula!

[cartman]

LOL!!!!

That was a perfect treatment of the whole situation! I was laughing my ass off the entire time.

[Ksyrup]

Seriously, how great was that? They roasted him for leaving, kept up the attack on Scientology, gave him a heart-felt goodbye, left open the possibility of his return, and added a Star Wars ending...all in less than a week.

[cartman]

This is what Super Adventure Club members actually believe

Remind me to never piss those two off.

[Critch]

Wow.




Wow.

[Crapshoot]

This is about as big a mismatch as anyone taking on Quiksand in a limericks competition in the Maximum Football Thread. Hayes, Cruise, and the Scientologists just need to give it up and go home quietly.

Well said. This was just ... wow. Tom Cruise's boycott threats have only made this worse - I'd be shocked if the ratings aren't through the roof.

[kurtism]

Parker and Stone are the Bird and Magic of satire. Simply brilliant.

[WVUFAN]

I missed the episode. Could some post or PM me spoilers?

[General Mike]

Tremendous.

[Crapshoot]

Seriously, how great was that? They roasted him for leaving, kept up the attack on Scientology, gave him a heart-felt goodbye, left open the possibility of his return, and added a Star Wars ending...all in less than a week.

Yeah, that was part of what made it good - if they had roasted Issac Hayes, it wouldn't have been quite as good. The spatula... just sheer class.

[stevew]

Man, that was freaking brilliant.

[Crapshoot]

I missed the episode. Could some post or PM me spoilers?

if I may suggest... certain "networks" online might be able to provide it to you if you can wait till tomorrow. In any case, odds are good on CC replaying it if you want to wait - it really is that good.

[bronconick]

It's on again at midnight if you can stay up, WVU.

[stevew]

I think they are repeating the new episode at 12. But i can't get a "for sure" indication out of my cable box.

[cartman]

I think they are repeating the new episode at 12. But i can't get a "for sure" indication out of my cable box.

The DirecTV onscreen guide is showing the repeat will be in about an hour at 11pm Central.

[cuervo72]

I think they are repeating the new episode at 12. But i can't get a "for sure" indication out of my cable box.

DirecTV guide says "yes".

[WVUFAN]

I work until 2 am. :-(

[Bearcat729]

That was pretty funny

[M GO BLUE!!!]

I don't have comedy central. Can somebody give at least a summary on the episode?

From what I hear, they finished the episode at 6am this morning.

This was confirmed from their office.

[Coop]

I wanna make love to ..your asshole.

haha good episode

From what I hear, they finished the episode at 6am this morning.

that's how they finish all of the episodes

[Franklinnoble]

From the Washington Post: - SPOILERS!


'South Park' Responds: Chef's Goose Is Cooked
By Lisa de Moraes
Thursday, March 23, 2006; C07

"South Park" fans have struck back, threatening to boycott Viacom's upcoming Tom Cruise flick "Mission: Impossible III" until Viacom's Comedy Central puts back on its schedule the show's Scientology spoof episode the network yanked last week.
Meanwhile, Comedy Central and the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, hoped to placate the angry mob (as if) with a hastily thrown together season-opening episode in which Chef is brainwashed by "a fruity little club" whose members travel the globe having sex with children.
Celebrity Scientologist Isaac Hayes, who had provided the voice of Chef, South Park's beloved school cook, since the show started, announced early last week that he wanted out because he had discovered "South Park" pokes fun at "religious communities." Two days later, Comedy Central yanked the scheduled rerun of the "Trapped in the Closet" episode that skewered Scientology and its most famous member, Tom Cruise.
The response to Hayes's exit was last night's slapped-together 10th-season opener, "The Return of Chef!" The producers sliced and diced lines Hayes had recorded in previous seasons to produce Chef's new lines for the episode, a Comedy Central rep told The Post's John Maynard.
In the episode, pals Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled when Chef, who'd left South Park to join the Super Adventure Club, returns. But in school the next day, he says to them, "How about I meet you guys after work and we make love . . . come on children, you're my sexual fantasy, let's all make sweet love." Those are the printable things, anyway.
The guys take Chef to a shrink, who pronounces him the worst case of brainwashing he's ever seen.
They take him to a strip club to try to deprogram him. Chef is cured, but then is shot with darts by members of the Super Adventure Club -- "South Park's" new, thinly veiled metaphor, in case you haven't figured it out yet, for Scientology.
Chef is taken back to HQ, where the Super Adventure Club continues the brainwashing.
The boys follow and learn the secret of the Super Adventure Club, founded by a guy who was an explorer, only every time he got someplace he discovered someone had beat him there. So he decided to become the first explorer to have sex with the native children in the various remote locations, which he felt would make him immortal.
Long story short: The boys rescue Chef and they run across the rope bridge over the deep ravine that takes them to safety. But once they're on the other side, the Super Adventure Club's big chief shouts to Chef, "Don't you remember why you left South Park in the first place? You sought adventure . . . because your life had become dull and empty."
The boys plead with Chef:
"Chef -- we love you!"
But Chef heads back over the bridge, only it's struck by lightning and falls apart. Chef plunges down the ravine and is impaled on a large stick and attacked by a mountain lion, then a grizzly bear.
Back in South Park, the townsfolk hold a memorial service for Chef. Kyle tells the residents that although a lot of them don't agree with the choices Chef made in the last few days, they should focus on how much he made them smile and -- here's the money quote -- they should not be mad at Chef but instead at "the fruity little club for scrambling his brain."
We're guessing the episode may still not be enough raw meat for the piranha-esque "South Park" fans, who took to the Internet yesterday urging people to write, phone or e-mail Viacom, or sign their Chef Gate petition, letting the corporation know they and their loved ones will not see "Mission: Impossible III" (due in theaters on May 5) until Comedy Central runs the more direct Scientology-skewering episode "Trapped in the Closet."
(Normally these kinds of petitions are quixotic and kinda sweet, but there's no denying that "South Park's" core demographic -- 70 percent male, 20 percent male teens, 30 percent men age 18-34 -- is a bull's-eye for action flicks such as "Mission: Impossible.")
In the episode, Scientologists become convinced that Stan is the reincarnation of founder L. Ron Hubbard. Cruise shows up at Stan's house seeking praise for his acting work, but Stan pronounces it inferior to "that guy who played Napoleon Dynamite." Cruise, crushed, locks himself in Stan's closet. For the rest of the episode, Stan, his family, celeb Scientologist John Travolta and R&B artist R. Kelly try to get Cruise to "come out of the closet."
Immediately after Hayes made his announcement last week, Stone and Parker claimed in interviews that his exit from the show was entirely about his being a Scientologist. The publicity ginned up by the kerfuffle drove viewers to the show, only to be disappointed when the "Trapped" episode did not run last Wednesday night. That set off speculation it had been yanked because Cruise, or someone acting on his behalf, had said he would stop promoting "M:I3" if it aired.
"We, the loyal viewers of television's 'South Park' do hereby protest against the removal of the episode 'Trapped in the Closet,' " the fans' petition reads.
"We demand that Comedy Central put this episode back on the air and show it as soon as possible; we want everyone, including Tom Cruise, to know that censorship is wrong."
Far more fun are the comments attached to some of the more than 2,000 signatures that had been collected by the time the petition's Web server apparently crashed around 7 p.m. yesterday:
· Stop being girly-men.
· I would expect more moxie from Comedy Central.
· Bad Tommy! No biscuit!
· Get a sense of humor Tom, you couch jumping freak.
And, our personal fave:
· Free Katie!
* * *

[Rizon]

Matt/Trey 2
Hayes/Scientology 1

[Ksyrup]

"Meanwhile, Comedy Central and the show's creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, hoped to placate the angry mob (as if) with a hastily thrown together season-opening episode..."


For people who don't know South Park, this is pretty misleading. A number of their episodes are produced in less than a week. The Terry Shiavo spoof, the capture of Saddam, etc. This makes it sound like they were scrambling to respond when, in fact, they react like this to various issues all the time.

[cuervo72]

Yeah, it certainly didn't sound like someone who was a fan of South Park (and considering it's the Post, it could well be someone with a liberal bent, and from what I've heard some liberals aren't too pleased with the fact that Parker and Stone will willingly skewer any part of the political spectrum).

[Butter]

I remember the episode about Elian Gonzalez. It was the week of when they "rescued" him, and there was that famous picture of the guy with the gun grabbing him away from an adult in the closet. Two days later, the episode of South Park had a parody of that picture, and it was then I first realized how late their production schedule runs on "topical" issues.

[Coder]

Yeah, it certainly didn't sound like someone who was a fan of South Park (and considering it's the Post, it could well be someone with a liberal bent, and from what I've heard some liberals aren't too pleased with the fact that Parker and Stone will willingly skewer any part of the political spectrum).

I don't know.. I'd probably be labelled as a liberal politcally but this is one of the things that I enjoy the most about South Park.. the fact that they can offend people from all over the political scale in the same show, basically just proving how silly the arguments really are.

The Schiavo-episode was excellent at this...

[CamEdwards]

this was an absolutely beautiful and brilliant episode. simply one of their best.

[JeeberD]

Any idea when it's going to be on next? I totally forgot that it was on last night... :(

[cartman]

Any idea when it's going to be on next? I totally forgot that it was on last night... :(

Looks like it'll be repeated tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday, according to the Comedy Central website:

hxxp://www.comedycentral.com/tv_schedule/index.jhtml?seriesId=11600

[JeeberD]

Awesome, thanks...

[Daimyo]

... it could well be someone with a liberal bent, and from what I've heard some liberals aren't too pleased with the fact that Parker and Stone will willingly skewer any part of the political spectrum).
Count me as one liberal who loves that they never pull punches and are willing and eager to pretty much make fun of anything and everyone. I think its their willingness to go after anything and everything equally that lets them get by with so much that would otherwise be considered taboo.

[Ksyrup]

Count me as one liberal who loves that they never pull punches and are willing and eager to pretty much make fun of anything and everyone. I think its their willingness to go after anything and everything equally that lets them get by with so much that would otherwise be considered taboo.

What did you think of the fact that they left Bush entirely out of Team America?

[jeff061]

What did you think of the fact that they left Bush entirely out of Team America?
Personally, I didn't even think about it until now. Still don't care. Was a funny movie.

[Daimyo]

What did you think of the fact that they left Bush entirely out of Team America?
It's been a while since I saw Team America, but I pretty much took the whole thing as a veiled parody of Bush's foreign policy wrapped in a neat little package of hollywood-liberal jokes that allowed it to appeal to a broad political spectrum.

[Daimyo]

DOLA, overall I'm pretty sure Trey and Matt lean to the right, but they attack stupity pretty equally wherever they see it. A little like Jon Stewart that way...

[cartman]

DOLA, overall I'm pretty sure Trey and Matt lean to the right, but they attack stupity pretty equally wherever they see it. A little like Jon Stewart that way...

I see them as libertarians with a huge anti-establishment streak running through them.

[Ksyrup]

I only mentioned that because liberals have, by and large, called that movie the "outing" of them as closet conservatives and were majorly pissed that they took the Hollywood Liberal thing as far as they did in the movie, but didn't even mention Bush at all. For instance, the destruction of countries was just played off as well-intentioned but oblivious US military/secret forces collateral damage, and the intelligence failure was blamed on a third party's "intelligence," not our country's. Just a few of the issues I've read about after that movie came out.

Bottom line, liberals thought they showed their true colors and that they didn't go far enough in making it as even-handed a parody as SP usually is.

[ISiddiqui]

I don't think they are conservatives. How many conservatives would show Satan and his minion deciding on what to do, and his minion saying "We'll do what we always do. Use the Republicans" (In the Schiavo episode).

Bottom line, liberals thought they showed their true colors and that they didn't go far enough in making it as even-handed a parody as SP usually is.

I think that's incredibly silly since "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut" was an assault on conservatives.

[CamEdwards]

I only mentioned that because liberals have, by and large, called that movie the "outing" of them as closet conservatives and were majorly pissed that they took the Hollywood Liberal thing as far as they did in the movie, but didn't even mention Bush at all. For instance, the destruction of countries was just played off as well-intentioned but oblivious US military/secret forces collateral damage, and the intelligence failure was blamed on a third party's "intelligence," not our country's. Just a few of the issues I've read about after that movie came out.

Bottom line, liberals thought they showed their true colors and that they didn't go far enough in making it as even-handed a parody as SP usually is.

I think their quote is "we hate conservatives, but we REALLY %^&*ing hate liberals".

[jeff061]

I don't think they are conservatives.
They are conservatives. I just don't really care, since they are also funny. I'm not one of the many people who can't seperate politics and everything else.

[Butter]

Bottom line, liberals thought they showed their true colors and that they didn't go far enough in making it as even-handed a parody as SP usually is.

I know a couple of friends who hate Bush more than you should rationally hate anyone, and they thought Team America was the funniest film they saw that year.

So, I don't think those thoughts spread to all liberals.

[jeff061]

Bottom line, liberals thought they showed their true colors and that they didn't go far enough in making it as even-handed a parody as SP usually is.
I never heard that. Even from my crazy Franken-like friends.

[CamEdwards]

heh. Trey Parker on Election 2004:


Trey Parker: I would care more if it was like one guy that was just like ok. This guy is awesome. This guy can really help out the country. Then I would care. Right now you kind of have two shit heads, so it is kind of like you can vote for shit head one or shit head two. You know it is like, well you are going to the movie theatre and you can either see without a paddle or some other shitty movie on. Without a paddle 2. I don't know what I am going to do.

[JAG]

*"Doesn't that club do hiking and canoeing?"

"No, that's the Adventure Club. This is the Super Adventure Club."

Good stuff. :)


*disclaimer - not exact quotes

[Ksyrup]

Man, I heard/read it everywhere I went. And of course, not everyone feels that way and most people were able to see it for what it is, but the prevailing sentiment among hardcore liberals I ran across was that it was biased toward the right. These kinds of comments are pretty common, I've found:

<TABLE class=post-subject cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Saw "TEAM AMERICA"last night. This film is VERY anti-liberal!</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=post-message cellSpacing=10 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width="1%">http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/images/transparent.gif</TD><TD width="99%">Okay, I laughed in some of it but overall this is a Freepers wet dream. They poke fun at liberals BIG TIME!!!Nothing against ANY rightwingers, ONLY LIBERALS!!! Liberals are the butt of the joke & are even the villians in this.Oh, & all the liberals Die a horrific death in this. TOTALLY bias! I mean, c'mon. How can they NOT have Bush puppet? I mean, he so much a charachter that needs to be mocked. This film was very mean spirited IMO. My firned said I didn't get it. That it was an extreme right wing edge to it & that was the joke. Well, I didn't get that when I saw it. TRUST ME, Freepers will call this film their own & Trey Parker & Matt Stone have sold out BIG TIME!

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

or


"What do we get? Peacenik liberal Hollywood actors coddling up to terrorist regimes (ha ha). If you hate Susan Sarandon, Alec Baldwin and Janeane Garofalo, then you'll love seeing them get killed in a bloody battle with Team America. One dead Rush Limbaugh would've attoned for using Michael Moore as a suicide bomber. Perhaps massacring Fox's whole afternoon lineup and Tom DeLay would've balanced out the dead actors. But oh well. Me, I didn't care for it."

or


It's a right wing polemic. They went on Letterman and said they hate liberal Hollywood cos Michael Moore misrepresented them in Bowling For Columbine and made out they did the cartoon sequence when they didn't. Aside from the first ten minutes when Team America blows up everything, the rest is a right wing polemic on the need to kill liberal (and FAG) actors and the North Koreans. No satire or attack on Bush, Rice, Cheney etc. Just liberal Hollywood, and now that Saddam is out - a previous target in Bigger, Longer, and Uncut - they go after the North Koreans. Even Matt Stone said he's lost all his friends and he's never gonna work with Trey Parker again. So... why do all the liberal journalists in the UK love this movie? Cos they wouldn't know the difference between a right wing polemic and a bleeding heart liberal pledge drive for child AIDS victims. This film states its case in the last five mins loud and clear - it says the world needs a gung ho police force and that police force is America, #uck yeah! Its that simple. The fact that they're all puppets could at a push allow it to be perceived as satire, but only up to a point; the ending clearly and unequivocally makes its case for America's "war on terror".

[jeff061]

Well you quoted teenage morons :).

It was a goofy funny movie, anyone reading further into it should be disreguarded.

[ISiddiqui]

They are conservatives. I just don't really care, since they are also funny. I'm not one of the many people who can't seperate politics and everything else.

If anything they are libertarian. If you've watched South Park, you'd realize they aren't conservatives.

This film states its case in the last five mins loud and clear - it says the world needs a gung ho police force and that police force is America, #uck yeah! Its that simple. The fact that they're all puppets could at a push allow it to be perceived as satire, but only up to a point; the ending clearly and unequivocally makes its case for America's "war on terror".

LOL! What a moron that reviewer is! That is a case of being Whooshed if I ever saw one.

[Radii]

Giant Douche or Turd Sandwich?

[jeff061]

If anything they are libertarian. If you've watched South Park, you'd realize they aren't conservatives.

I am not deducing this. They have said they are conservatives.

[ISiddiqui]

I am not deducing this. They have said they are conservatives.

Actually they've said they are conservative on somethings, liberal on others.

[molson]

I think that's incredibly silly since "South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut" was an assault on conservatives.

I think there's a difference between "moral conservatives" and "political conservative". They obviously aren't the former, but I think it's pretty clear they're the latter.

[Daimyo]

Man, I heard/read it everywhere I went. And of course, not everyone feels that way and most people were able to see it for what it is, but the prevailing sentiment among hardcore liberals I ran across was that it was biased toward the right. These kinds of comments are pretty common, I've found:
I'll be the first to admit there are a LOT of stupid liberals out there and you just found three of them. :)

[ISiddiqui]

I think there's a difference between "moral conservatives" and "political conservative". They obviously aren't the former, but I think it's pretty clear they're the latter.

Do you mean 'economic' conservative? Otherwise I'm not sure what a 'political' conservative means.

I mean when Matt Stone says:

I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals

does that mean he's a conservative? Because he hates liberal more than he hates conservatives?

[ISiddiqui]

edit: Was a post deleted?! Oh well, I'll keep my reply:

--

How is that inconsistant from where I said they said they are conservative on some issues and liberal on others?

See where Stone says "I think that's where we're conservatives" rather than "that's why". "That's where" means that is one issue where we are conservative.

[jeff061]

Sorry was out of context, trying to get the full thing from a different source. You are too fast :).

[molson]

Do you mean 'economic' conservative? Otherwise I'm not sure what a 'political' conservative means.

I mean when Matt Stone says:

does that mean he's a conservative? Because he hates liberal more than he hates conservatives?

It was a bad choice of words, I just meant that someone can have predominantly "conservative" views (in terms of economics, foreign policy), while still utilizing crude humor and a disdain for the republican party.

The South Park political orientation is interesting, I don't think it's as simple as "they criticize everybody". I think there's a coherent political philosophy in there somewhere that isn't represented in American politics today, but that is shared by many people.

[ISiddiqui]

Sorry was out of context, trying to get the full thing from a different source. You are too fast :).

That was a Time Magazine article. I have that issue, FWIW. Didn't come away from the interview thinking they believed they were conservative, btw.

[ISiddiqui]

It was a bad choice of words, I just meant that someone can have predominantly "conservative" views (in terms of economics, foreign policy), while still utilizing crude humor and a disdain for the republican party.

The South Park political orientation is interesting, I don't think it's as simple as "they criticize everybody". I think there's a coherent political philosophy in there somewhere that isn't represented in American politics today, but that is shared by many people.

I dunno, like I stated, I think it is far more a libertarian position than either a conservative or liberal one. They don't like conservative or liberal political correctness (conservative PC being censorship for promotion of 'morals', liberal PC being censorship so that no one feels hurt).

[jeff061]

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:MM18NrMzNAQJ:www.spscriptorium.com/SPMedia/Time13March2006.htm+%2210+Questions+for+Matt+Stone+and+Trey+Parker%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

It's the last question.

I think most people, unless you are a biased and blinded loon, fall down on the other side on some issues.

[molson]

Aside from the politics, I can't think of another show in the history of television that has accelerated in quality as it reached its 10th season (or 9th, or 8th). It's really unbelievable.

[Mustang]

Wow.. I really didn't think anyone cared that much on whether Parker or Stone were liberals or conservatives...

Check that, I didn't think anyone cared.

[jeff061]

Wow.. I really didn't think anyone cared that much on whether Parker or Stone were liberals or conservatives...

Check that, I didn't think anyone cared.

And I knew that's what you were going to say before I read your post. Be proud.

[ISiddiqui]

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:MM18NrMzNAQJ:www.spscriptorium.com/SPMedia/Time13March2006.htm+%2210+Questions+for+Matt+Stone+and+Trey+Parker%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=3

It's the last question.

I think most people, unless you are a biased and blinded loon, fall down on the other side on some issues.

I reiterate my previous post on the quote.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Aside from the politics, I can't think of another show in the history of television that has accelerated in quality as it reached its 10th season (or 9th, or 8th). It's really unbelievable.

Considering how bad the show was in its early days(pretty much the only times I even bothered to skim through it) this isn't all that had to fathom (no idea whether it really has gotten better or not, but theoretically it seems quite possible).

[Ksyrup]

I'll be the first to admit there are a LOT of stupid liberals out there and you just found three of them. :)

Well, it could be that my perspective is out of kilter since the only boards I post on besides this one are music-related, and man are there a bunch of WAY out there liberals on those kinds of boards (especially compared to this one).

[cuervo72]

FWIW, the basis of my original assertion was the 60 Minutes segment they did a couple of months ago, where the general feel was that a number of liberals (mainly Hollywood, I suppose) were of the "oh no, you can't do this to us" mentality, and that despite the fact that they will attack conservatives as well, many conservatives (they used the term "South Park Conservatives") have warmed to them because they don't pull punches where it comes to liberals.

[cartman]

It's on right now for those (JeeberD) that missed last night.

[terpkristin]

It's on right now for those (JeeberD) that missed last night.

This was such a good ep that I'm watching it again, even though I watched it last night.

/tk

[MylesKnight]

Funny. This is how the cable station here describes South Park on their TV listings..

South Park: An animated adult series about four potty-mouthed trash-talking grade schoolers.

That's it.

[JeeberD]

It's on right now for those (JeeberD) that missed last night.


I'm planning on catching the 11pm showing. Thanks for the heads up, though... :)

[JeeberD]

Wasn't quite as good as I was expecting, but that may be due to the fact that I kept switching back to basketball...

[lytic]

I remember the episode about Elian Gonzalez. It was the week of when they "rescued" him, and there was that famous picture of the guy with the gun grabbing him away from an adult in the closet. Two days later, the episode of South Park had a parody of that picture, and it was then I first realized how late their production schedule runs on "topical" issues.

They actually finished that episode 30 minutes before air.
I'm one of the biggest South Park fans out there, I've seen every episode. I knew that Chef was gonna get trashed this episode for what he did. I watched it and laughed often, but at the end of it all... I was a little sad. Chef was one of my favorite characters on that show. I can only hope that they decided to have the darth chef as a way to keep the character on the show (to get around the voice thing). I even told my wife before watching the episode that they could keep Chef the character on the show and just use his old lines, "Hello there children" and just keep him on in a minor role. She thought they would kill him off right away. We were both right, in a way.

I may be the only one... but I mourned Chef last night. :(

[Qwikshot]

I think that instead of Liberalism or Conservatism, they tend to use common sense, which is lacking in the political spectrum at times.

[Butter]

Great episode, I finally watched it last night. I loved the spliced together dialogue, it was hilarious.

[Ksyrup]

I may be the only one... but I mourned Chef last night. :(

And they did as well, in the end. That's what made it such a great episode. They didn't just make him look bad, they gave him a heartfelt send-off. I thought the whole thing struck just the right balance between being pissed and being sad.

[Critch]

Well they followed up the great Chef return episode with a huge steaming pile this week.

Worst.....episode......ever.... (if I may cross animated series boundaries).

(not really the worst, but still crap.)

[cartman]

Well they followed up the great Chef return episode with a huge steaming pile this week.

Worst.....episode......ever.... (if I may cross animated series boundaries).

(not really the worst, but still crap.)

Yeah, I was disappointed in this week's episode as well. But I figured as much, since they probably wore themselves out a bit making last week's masterpiece. There was so much more they could have done with Cartman visiting San Fran than the gloss over they gave it.

[duckman]

The Clooney smug was funny. :D

[JonInMiddleGA]

I ran across something that might be of interest, figured I'd add it to the thread

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_3752.asp

Ad-supported programs cable ratings for the Week Ending March 26 (I believe this would be the "Chef" episode)

South Park
Total Households = 19th (2,487,000)
P 18-34 = 3rd (1,589,000)
trailed only RW/RR The Gauntlet and Real World XVII
P 18-49 = 4th (2,349,000)
trailed only [i]WWE hour 1 & 2, and Ron White
P 25-54 = 7th (1,661,000)
trailed the above, plus The Shield, Dog, the Bounty Hunter and Monk

IMO, that's a pretty strong debut, so the buzz over this episode seems to have worked well (consider: I'm out of the primary demo but probably watched a full first-run episode for the first time since season 1 or 2).

It was also reported as their highest rated season premiere since 2002, and had a total audience more than one third higher than last year's average rating.
What will be interesting is to see how the rest of the season ratings hold up.

[Bonegavel]

I've heard rumors that Chef is back on board. Anyone confirm? (heh, I feel like a NY Times reporter)

[Daimyo]

The second episode was the worst i can remember in probably 4-5 seasons. Cartman going into SF and George Clooney's smug were both LOL moments, but the rest of it was terrible.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Woah Nelly!

It looks like "It's On!"

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=22944

Kyle loves Stewie, Brian, Peter and the gang. Cartman is less fond. A race to California will determine the fate of the animated series “Family Guy.”

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."

[cartman]

Tonight does look like an interesting show!

[DeToxRox]

I love the lengths these two will go. I am pumped for tonight and I don't think Seth Meyers is anywhere near these two in satire or humor. FG has lost its edge while SP keeps theres sharp.

[Crapshoot]

I like Family Guy, but its simply not as funny as it used to be - and its become a parody of itself.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Family Guy, its [sic] simply not funny.

Fixed.

[stevew]

I hate family guy, but it isnt as bad as drawn together. The Drawn Together creators need to be drawn and quartered, the Family Guy creators can just choose exile.

[ISiddiqui]

I enjoy Drawn Together. I can't believe the stuff they get away with... even though I realize its cable!

[cartman]

Wow, they really do have deep contempt for Seth McFarlane and Family Guy. So much so that this turned into a two part episode, which was a complete surprise. A nice bounce back from last week's disappointing episode.

[cartman]

Dola,

Wow, they did win a Peabody! I wasn't sure if the blurb during the commercial was serious or not.

hxxp://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,18736,00.html?fdnews

"South Park," "Galactica" Peabody'd
by Josh Grossberg
Apr 5, 2006, 2:20 PM PT

The Peabodys are finally respecting Cartman's authority.

The foul-mouthed cartoon cutouts of Comedy Central's South Park earned their first Peabody Award Wednesday.

The folks handing out television's most esteemed prize heralded the boundary-pushing 'toon's' brain trust, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, for continuing to poke fun of all "that is self-important and hypocritical in the American life, regardless of race, creed, color or celebrity status." ('Tis true, as Tom Cruise, the Virgin Mary and the dearly departed Chef can attest.)

"We see it as a bold show that deals with issues of censorship and social and cultural topics," Peabody Awards director Horace Newcomb told E! Online. "My line on South Park is that it properly offends everybody by design and by doing so it reminds us all that it's probably a good idea to be tolerant. It's also a very inventive and clever show."

Meanwhile, Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica, a hit reimagining of the campy 1970s series about a ragtag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest to start life anew on Earth, also brought home its first Peabody--something the original never did.

"It treats contemporary issues from an angle that really make you think about those issues…issues of race, gender, all those things are dealt with in that context," said Newcomb. "In a way it's almost a counterpart to South Park which just throws everything up there, while Battlestar considers them in a dramatic narrative."

Those two shows weren't the only Peabody virgins. FX scored a trophy for its Emmy-winning cop drama, The Shield, while the Sundance Channel won for The Staircase, an eight-part documentary by French filmmaker Jean Xavier de Lestrade about a North Carolina murder case.
"battlestar"

Also Peabody'd were ABC's genre-bending Boston Legal and Fox's cantankerous House. The David E. Kelley series about the tribulations of a Beantown law firm "somersaults from comedy to drama to stinging political commentary with acrobatic assurance and undisguised glee," per its citation, while the Hugh Laurie-led series was lauded for being the "most distinctive new doctor drama in a decade."

HBO won for three programs: Yesterday, a South African-produced film about a young mother diagnosed with AIDS; Children of Beslan, a documentary coproduced by the BBC focusing on the aftermath of a terrorist takeover of a Russian elementary school in September 2004; and Classical Baby, which was singled out as "an inventive, whimsical marriage of animation to classical music."

Showtime earned an award for Edge of America, a telefilm inspired by real events about an African-American teacher-coach who takes a job at an Indian reservation school in Utah.

Another notable documentary to garner a Peabody was No Direction Home--Bob Dylan, Martin Scorsese's four-hour exploration of the legendary folk-rocker using archival interviews, home-movie footage and concert film that was coproduced by the BBC and PBS' American Masters series.

On the news side, with Katrina dominating the headlines for months on end, the judges showered both NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and CNN with kudos for their multifaceted efforts to cover the story. They also honored several Gulf Coast stations for coverage of the storm and its aftermath.

Now in its 65th year, the Peabodys are presented by the University of Georgia's Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and recognize excellent in broadcasting and cable. Unlike the Emmys, there are no categories, just a list of winners picked by a 15-member advisory board comprised of journalists and academics.

Hosted by The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, this year's awards ceremony is scheduled for June 5 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. For a complete list of winners go to www.peabody.uga.edu.

[sabotai]

It's so hard to tell when Parker and Stone are being serious and just messing around. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole Family Guy fued they seem to be starting is just fun and games.

[ISiddiqui]

And their parody of Family Guy was SPOT ON.

[Schmidty]

I like Family Guy, but its simply not as funny as it used to be - and its become a parody of itself.

I haven't watched this episode of SP yet, but funny is funny, and Family Guy still makes me laugh my ass off, regardless of the "freshness".

People get snooty and over-analyze, but it doesn't make the subject any less effective.

[Galaxy]

Problem with FG is they lack consistency. They've have some GREAT eposides, and some duds. I think Peter's character has been dumb down a little too much.

[Schmidty]

Problem with FG is they lack consistency. They've have some GREAT eposides, and some duds. I think Peter's character has been dumb down a little too much.

People said the same thing about Homer after the Simpson's first year. That obviously wasn't the case.

[Galaxy]

People said the same thing about Homer after the Simpson's first year. That obviously wasn't the case.

FG had three seasons under its belt.

[Schmidty]

FG had three seasons under its belt.

Either way, it still makes me (and a lot of others) laugh.

People, especially messageboard people, pick things apart to the point of hating everything if they want to. If people tried hard enough, they would do the same thing to SP. And they did a few years ago, when it was just about gross-out, no substance garbage.

Everything's cyclical and fad-oriented. It's an internet pack mentality thing.

[Galaxy]

Either way, it still makes me (and a lot of others) laugh.

People, especially messageboard people, pick things apart to the point of hating everything if they want to. If people tried hard enough, they would do the same thing to SP. And they did a few years ago, when it was just about gross-out, no substance garbage.

Everything's cyclical and fad-oriented. It's an internet pack mentality thing.

True....FG is my favorite show.

[Rizon]

Haha, great dig at the Muhammed cartoon uproar, while still getting digs in at Scientology and Comedy Central plus poking friendly fun at Family Guy. Brilliant.

[JeeberD]

Yup, the genuis of last night's show was getting all three topics in without making it overkill. Outstanding episode, and I can't wait to see next week's show...

[stevew]

Cartman did a damn good job of putting into words exactly how I feel about the Family Guy.

[stevew]

dola,
Man, i hope they rip on McKinney at some point this season.

[Qwikshot]

Simpsons already made fun of Family Guy.

[Rizon]

Simpsons already made fun of Family Guy.

"Simpsons did it!"

[Daimyo]

The funny thing is that South Park already had Muhammad on the show back in season 5 or so with the Super Best Friends episode.

[JonInMiddleGA]

What will be interesting is to see how the rest of the season ratings hold up.

Well, let's see here, ratings for the week ending April 2nd (I'm probably not going to do this every week, I just happened to think of it today when I was catching up on some reading).

South Park
Wk of 3/26 Total Households = 19th (2,487,000)
Wk of 4/2 Total Households = Not in top 25 (<2,472,000)

Wk of 3/26: P 18-34 = 3rd (1,589,000)
Wk of 4/2: P18-34 = 4th (1,562,000)

Wk of 3/26 P 18-49 = 4th (2,349,000)
Wk of 4/2 P 18-49 = 5th (2,242,000)

Wk of 3/26 P 25-54 = 7th (1,661,000)
Wk of 4/2 P25-54 = 3rd (1,743,000)

So, minor slippage in the younger demos, a little growth in the older demos.
Hopefully I'll think of this again next week, because if the episode from wk of 4/2 was the letdown some in this thread indicated, it'd be interesting to see if it cost them audience the following week (which, I think, would be last night's Family Guy episode)

[terpkristin]

Hmm...
I liked last week, but I hope tonight's lives up to the build-up from last week. :D ;)

/tk

[terpkristin]

A network pulling a show is a sign that it might go off the air...


Sound familiar?

And this Bart Simpson thing...hmm...

/tk

[General Mike]

Cowabunga motherf*cker.

[DeToxRox]

lmao! amazing. god damn amazing.

[terpkristin]

PRIMA DONNA MANATEES! :) :D

/tk

[sterlingice]

Um... remember this thread (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=39849) and this horribly misguided thread (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=39776)?

This was Matt and Trey putting their collective feet up the asses of the people who even think the race for #2 primetime cartoon of the past 15 years is close. Sure, the Simpsons just isn't what it was, but it's in bonus time as it was the best primetime cartoon, if not show, ever after about 8 seasons and nothing it can do now as it dies a long, slow death can take that away.

Genius, genius episodes of South Park the past two weeks. The only complaint I have is that it seemed they only had about 42 of 48 minutes and had the stupid fight and bike race scenes go entirely too long to fill up time.

SI

[DeToxRox]

Um... remember this thread (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=39849) and this horribly misguided thread (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=39776)?

This was Matt and Trey putting their collective feet up the asses of the people who even think the race for #2 primetime cartoon of the past 15 years is close. Sure, the Simpsons just isn't what it was, but it's in bonus time as it was the best primetime cartoon, if not show, ever after about 8 seasons and nothing it can do now as it dies a long, slow death can take that away.

Genius, genius episodes of South Park the past two weeks. The only complaint I have is that it seemed they only had about 42 of 48 minutes and had the stupid fight and bike race scenes go entirely too long to fill up time.

SI


Indeed. And I believe those fight/chase scenes were digs at some of the FG scenes where Peter clutches his knee or the chicken fights, so they had purpose.

[ISiddiqui]

Indeed. And I believe those fight/chase scenes were digs at some of the FG scenes where Peter clutches his knee or the chicken fights, so they had purpose.

Yep... my same thought too... the utterly dumb ass overwrought, "just end it already" crap in the Family Guy being parodied.

[LloydLungs]

I think the SP/Family Guy/Simpsons stuff was just a subplot though. Main point of the episode was an elaborate swipe at Comedy Central over the censorship of the Scientology and Bloody Mary episodes. They've targeted a lot of people over the years but I believe this was the first time they've clobbered CC itself.

[sabotai]

Bloody Mary episode?

[JeeberD]

I was about to flip out at the beginning when they said it was preempted for T&P.

"NOT AGAIN, YOU BASTARDS!!!" :o

[sterlingice]

I was about to flip out at the beginning when they said it was preempted for T&P.

"NOT AGAIN, YOU BASTARDS!!!" :o

I actually called that one. I turned to my wife and said "watch, they'll do the T&P thing like they did with the Cartman's dad episode" because it was just too easy of a joke to pass up.

SI

[LloydLungs]

Bloody Mary episode?

The episode involving the menstruating Mary statue that the Catholics successfully got Comedy Central to pull.

[CamEdwards]

Wow. According to Steve Spruiell, the failure to portray Mohammed wasn't part of the gag.

http://media.nationalreview.com/094921.asp

[JeeberD]

That's what I figured. It was done in a way that made me feel they were being dead serious and not joking about it...

[GrantDawg]

Wow. According to Steve Spruiell, the failure to portray Mohammed wasn't part of the gag.

http://media.nationalreview.com/094921.asp


Can anyone blame them?

[Bad-example]

I hope they are done with their axe grinding for a while and get back to being funny.

[CamEdwards]

Can anyone blame them?

Well, yeah. Considering what the past two episodes have been about.

As for them being getting back to being funny, I thought they addressed that in an amusing way last night. In fact, I've thought this season has been incredibly funny while still being topical. I think they're at the top of their game right now.

[GrantDawg]

Well, yeah. Considering what the past two episodes have been about.


It has been about trying to get the Comedy Central studios burned to the ground?

[Telle]

Wow. According to Steve Spruiell, the failure to portray Mohammed wasn't part of the gag.

http://media.nationalreview.com/094921.asp

That is a rather amazing bit of irony.

[CamEdwards]

It has been about trying to get the Comedy Central studios burned to the ground?

More like not being afraid to poke fun at anything and everything without fear of having your studio burned to the ground.

As Kyle said to the President of Fox last night: "You can't do what he wants just because he's the one threatening you with violence!"

[Daimyo]

Are they going to pull or censor the Super Best Friends episode now?

[hawk4669]

Are they going to pull or censor the Super Best Friends episode now?

Sadly, since no one really "noticed" (in the negative sense) when it was new, they'll probably just never show it again and allow it to fade to memory.

[BishopMVP]

More like not being afraid to poke fun at anything and everything without fear of having your studio burned to the ground.

As Kyle said to the President of Fox last night: "You can't do what he wants just because he's the one threatening you with violence!"Maybe it's just what I read and focus on, but the whole Muslim aspect was completely amazing to me. The digs at Family Guy, Scientology and Comedy Central were all great, but the fact that the only principled defense of free speech against Islamic terrorists comes from South Park is pretty stunning.

[PackerFanatic]

Matt Stone and Trey Parker certainly have balls and I give them props for what they did with these last two episodes. I haven't watched nearly as much South Park as I would have liked to in the past and I will definitely keep on watching more.

Granted, I love Family Guy and it was sad to see them dig it, lol...was still great shit.

Gotta love american television :)

[terpkristin]

As Matt and Trey likely hoped, this episode has received tons of comments. Just found this one on BoingBoing (http://www.boingboing.net):

Xeni Jardin: William Donohue of the Catholic League is not a big fan of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. This week's Easter episode -- with a censored Mohammed, and Christ crapping all over Bush and the American flag -- didn't make his heart grow fonder, but it sure gave him a good case of pottymouth: "'The ultimate hypocrite is not Comedy Central. That's their decision not to show the image of Muhammad, not Parker and Stone,' he said. 'Like little whores, they'll sit there and grab the bucks. They'll sit there and they'll whine and they'll take their shot at Jesus. That's their stock in trade.'"/tk

[CamEdwards]

Yeah, it's been amusing to me to see the reaction from some conservatives. They're not sure whether to wet the bed or lead a cheer.

[BishopMVP]

As Matt and Trey likely hoped, this episode has received tons of comments. Just found this one on BoingBoing (http://www.boingboing.net):


Xeni Jardin: William Donohue of the Catholic League is not a big fan of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. This week's Easter episode -- with a censored Mohammed, and Christ crapping all over Bush and the American flag -- didn't make his heart grow fonder, but it sure gave him a good case of pottymouth:"'The ultimate hypocrite is not Comedy Central. That's their decision not to show the image of Muhammad, not Parker and Stone,' he said. 'Like little whores, they'll sit there and grab the bucks. They'll sit there and they'll whine and they'll take their shot at Jesus. That's their stock in trade.'"/tkIf that's really what he took away from the episode, this dude should probably sit the next few plays out.

[TroyF]

Matt Stone and Trey Parker certainly have balls and I give them props for what they did with these last two episodes. I haven't watched nearly as much South Park as I would have liked to in the past and I will definitely keep on watching more.

Granted, I love Family Guy and it was sad to see them dig it, lol...was still great shit.

Gotta love american television :)


I love Family Guy. And I thought the South Park episode was great.

No problems seeing them rip into the show at all.

South Park had turned itself around. For awhile, the show was slipping a bit. The Katrina parody was one of the best South Park's I've ever seen. The last two have been great as well. Good stuff.

[Rizon]

As Matt and Trey likely hoped, this episode has received tons of comments. Just found this one on BoingBoing (http://www.boingboing.net):

Xeni Jardin: William Donohue of the Catholic League is not a big fan of South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. This week's Easter episode -- with a censored Mohammed, and Christ crapping all over Bush and the American flag -- didn't make his heart grow fonder, but it sure gave him a good case of pottymouth: "'The ultimate hypocrite is not Comedy Central. That's their decision not to show the image of Muhammad, not Parker and Stone,' he said. 'Like little whores, they'll sit there and grab the bucks. They'll sit there and they'll whine and they'll take their shot at Jesus. That's their stock in trade.'"/tk

What's wrong with whores :confused: They make college so much easier.

[JeeberD]

HAR!

http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/04/15/south-parks-been-showing-muhammad-all-season/

[Mustang]

No problems seeing them rip into the show at all.


Yep. I love watching 'The Family Guy' but, I found it humorous because what they were making fun of them for, FG really does that. Doesn't mean I find FG any less funny. Same reason I understand why people rip on Carrot Top but, I still find him humorous.

Ya.. I said it.. I find Carrot Top funny.

*shrug*

[cartman]

Love him or hate him, Towlie is back tonight. The title of tonight's episode is "Million Little Threads". Evidently the plot is Towlie writes his memoirs, and they are picked up by Oprah's Book of the Month Club. Should be interesting!

[JeeberD]

Thanks fo rthe bump...I nearly forgot!

[JeeberD]

Is that a giant green pussy?

[Coop]

weird episode so far

[ISiddiqui]

This is brilliant so far... Oprah's minge and gary! LOL!

[ISiddiqui]

This may be the strangest thing I've ever seen... but I'm loving it!

[JeeberD]

"You said it!"

[cartman]

WOW!

I think this was the first time since the infamous "Not Without My Anus" episode that the normal crew wasn't included!

[Ksyrup]

That was a crappy episode. No pun intended.

[Galaxy]

That was a crappy episode. No pun intended.

Agree...They had no one from the main cast in it.

[stevew]

That was fucking horrible. I can't believe I watched the whole thing.

[Galaxy]

And these two guys just blasted FG last week....

[stevew]

You think that's bad, remember the time I was watching that cartoon show and it was about oprah's vagina?

"I'm oprah's minge. I have a gun sometimes."

Fucking manatees.

[Ksyrup]

Agree...They had no one from the main cast in it.

I don't necessarily care about that. It just wasn't funny. The premise was decent, but there was no payoff and they kept up with the same running gag until the bitter, unfunny end.

[Daimyo]

It was a single bad joke taken way too far and was pretty disapointing IMO.

[Bad-example]

It has been a weak season. The Chef episode was funny but since then it has pretty much sucked ass (to put it in South Park terms).

[jeff061]

They are always hit and miss, hitting both extreme ends of the spectrum. I liked the FG episodes as well as the Chef episode.

[Telle]

That was just.. odd.

[duckman]

It was luke warm at best for me. I chuckled a few times when Oprah's vagina starting talking to her asshole.

[mckerney]

WOW!

I think this was the first time since the infamous "Not Without My Anus" episode that the normal crew wasn't included!


The Great Expectations episode from season 4 didn't have the main cast either.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I have to admit that I've never paid more attention to South Park than I am lately, not because I'm interested in the show itself but rather because I've become curious about how the ratings do vs the consensus here about the quality of the episodes each week. In the most basic theory, suckitude should create a fairly steady slide from week to week.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_4188.asp

South Park
Wk of 3/26 Total Households = 19th (2,487,000)
Wk of 4/2 Total Households = Not in top 25 (<2,472,000)
Wk of 4/9 Total Households = 24th (2,374,000)
Wk of 4/16 Total Households = 14th (2,514,000)

Wk of 3/26: P 18-34 = 3rd (1,589,000)
Wk of 4/2: P18-34 = 4th (1,562,000)
Wk of 4/9: P18-34 = 3rd (1,545,000)
Wk of 4/16: P18-34 = 2nd (1,528,000)

Wk of 3/26 P 18-49 = 4th (2,349,000) (extrapolates to 760k P35-49)
Wk of 4/2 P 18-49 = 5th (2,242,000) (extrapolates to 680k P35-49)
Wk of 4/9 P 18-49 = 3rd (2,159,000) (extrapolates to 614k P35-49)
Wk of 4/16 P 18-49 = 3rd (2,222,000) (extrapolates to 694k P35-49)

Wk of 3/26 P 25-54 = 7th (1,661,000)
Wk of 4/2 P25-54 = 3rd (1,743,000)
Wk of 4/9 P25-54 = 6th (1,498,000)
Wk of 4/16 P25-54 = 5th (1,572,000)

Odd little trend there for last week's episode, decline in 18-34 again, but a boost in both total HH's and P35-49, which accounted for the P25-54 gain (i.e. there's no sign of gain in P49-54). Is the show {gasp} becoming less trendy/hip/cool and slipping more towards a middle-aged audience?

To some extent, although it occurred over a longer period of time, this is what happened with The Simpsons as well, the audience basically aged with the show, it didn't pull new viewers but retained ones that it had originally.

I offer no firm conclusions, since I'd need a lot more detailed numbers (and some historic numbers) than these to really get into proper analysis but on the surface,it's kind of interesting to follow this for the media stat geek in me.

[stevew]

The whole time I was watching, i was hoping it would go in a decent direction, much like last years Christmas type episode with the talking bears, lion cubs and blood orgy one that actually got funny toward the end.

[Ksyrup]

The whole time I was watching, i was hoping it would go in a decent direction, much like last years Christmas type episode with the talking bears, lion cubs and blood orgy one that actually got funny toward the end.

Yes, good analogy. That one was so over the line, I was uncomfortable watching it. The parts that weren't funny or were uncomfortable, though, were a perfect setup for the plot twist and conclusion. This time, it was like they got lazy and just decided to run with one pretty unfunny joke the whole episode.

Also, it goes to show how strong characters matter to a show. Throw a few Cartman comments and the usual banter between the boys in this one, and it would have probably been passable. Without them and with a weak running gag, it was bad.

[JonInMiddleGA]

So, does the FOFC consensus that underperforming episodes translate to lower ratings? Let's find out ...
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_4330.asp

South Park
Wk of 3/26 Total Households = 19th (2,487,000)
Wk of 4/2 Total Households = Not in top 25 (<2,472,000)
Wk of 4/9 Total Households = 24th (2,374,000)
Wk of 4/16 Total Households = 14th (2,514,000)
Wk of 4/23 Total Households = Not in top 25 (<2,262,000)

Wk of 3/26: P 18-34 = 3rd (1,589,000)
Wk of 4/2: P18-34 = 4th (1,562,000)
Wk of 4/9: P18-34 = 3rd (1,545,000)
Wk of 4/16: P18-34 = 2nd (1,528,000)
Wk of 4/23: P18-34 = 4th (1,195,000)

Wk of 3/26 P 18-49 = 4th (2,349,000) (extrapolates to 760k P35-49)
Wk of 4/2 P 18-49 = 5th (2,242,000) (extrapolates to 680k P35-49)
Wk of 4/9 P 18-49 = 3rd (2,159,000) (extrapolates to 614k P35-49)
Wk of 4/16 P 18-49 = 3rd (2,222,000) (extrapolates to 694k P35-49)
Wk of 4/23 P18-49 = 4th (1,763,000) (extrapolates to 568k P35-49)

Wk of 3/26 P 25-54 = 7th (1,661,000)
Wk of 4/2 P25-54 = 3rd (1,743,000)
Wk of 4/9 P25-54 = 6th (1,498,000)
Wk of 4/16 P25-54 = 5th (1,572,000)
Wk of 4/23 P25-54 = 10th (1,422,000)

Ouch. Declines in every demo and a roughly 25% drop in the core 18-34 audience. Is this a blip or is it a trend?

[cartman]

Not much detail about tonights episode. The title is "Manbearpig", and the story is that the boys get trapped in a cave, and Cartman finds buried treasure.

[terpkristin]

Complete and utter disappointment.

The entire Gore thing..eh. I mean, I see where they're coming from, but it was seriously drawn out.

The Cave of the Winds stuff...more disappointment (this probably has something to do with my RL involvement in caving and cave rescue).

Still better than last week's episode though...

/tk

[JeeberD]

I give it a solid "meh"...

[General Mike]

Some Guy: "what is that a pig bear man?"
Al Gore: "No stupid its Manbearpig"


Guy A: "do you want me to get the ex-vice president out of here?"
Guy B: "nah, i kinda feel bad for him. I don't think he has any friends"

I thought it was pretty good tonight.

[sabotai]

*thumbs down*

[Ksyrup]

It wasn't great, but I laughed.

[Anthony]

The entire Gore thing..eh. I mean, I see where they're coming from, but it was serial drawn out.



fixed

[Anthony]

It wasn't great, but I laughed.

i laughed at several parts, but they kept going w/ the "i'm being serial" joke too much. yeesh, by minute 10 that well was dry but they kept going to it.

[stevew]

I enjoyed it, may not have been the best episode ever, but at least i laughed. Unlike last weeks abomination.

[Daimyo]

Al Gore is a pretty weak target for ridicule at this point (has he done anything at all in the last 7 years?) and that kind of ruined it for me. Isn't there anyone more current that they could be mocking?

[cartman]

Al Gore is a pretty weak target for ridicule at this point (has he done anything at all in the last 7 years?) and that kind of ruined it for me. Isn't there anyone more current that they could be mocking?

Well, he does have a book and movie coming out very soon on global warming. I think that is what got him in their satirical crosshairs.

[terpkristin]

Just in case you missed any of this season's episodes (the good, the bad, and the really bad...), Comedy Central is doing a "season rewind" tonight (Saturday) starting at 10 p.m. Eastern.

/tk

[Bonegavel]

there is so much great material that they could have done on Gore that it seems a wasted opportunity.

[cartman]

It looks like they are going back to the standard playbook tonight. The episode is titled "TSST". The plot line is that Cartman's mom realizes she can't control his behavior, so she calls in the experts.

Haven't seen a Cartman centric episode in a while. :D

[Bad-example]

The other night when they had the season rewind, it was such an easy decision to watch the Chef episode and then turn the channel. I hope tonight is funny.

[Ksyrup]

That was good. Not insanely funny or anything, but a nice, insightful message episode.

[duckman]

A solid episode. There was 3-4 laugh out loud moments tonight. :)

[DaddyTorgo]

that was a good episode. i definately laughed at several points

[Bad-example]

Very funny.

[stevew]

I'm going to try that neck thingy on the 2 year old the next time she starts acting up and giving me lip.

[Butter]

If you've ever seen that "Dog Whisperer" show on National Geographic, it makes it about 10 times funnier. Coincidentally, we just got a puppy, and my wife started DVR'ing that show last week, so I have been watching it.

[terpkristin]

I'm going to watch it again tonight.

I know I watched it last night, but I was pretty beat and I honestly can't remember how it ended.

/tk

[Bearcat729]

I wonder if this will get the episode played on TV again




http://www.tampabays10.com/life/people/article.aspx?storyid=34804&s=f

“South Park” episode said to have angered Tom Cruise up for an Emmy

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) — One of the Emmy nominees for best animated program is the episode of “South Park” that's said to have angered Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes.

The episode called “Trapped in the Closet” implies that Cruise is gay and makes fun of Scientology.

Cruise's fellow Scientologist Isaac Hayes reportedly quit because he was upset with the episode. And when it came time to rerun it, Cruise allegedly called Comedy Central and demanded that it be pulled. It was, even though Cruise's people denied he asked for it.

[cartman]

Well, they have ended up replaying the "Trapped in the Closet" episode quite a few times lately, so I guess that answers that question.

And, Season 10 continues this Wednesday night. Evidently the plot centers around addiction to the game "World of Warcraft".

[DeToxRox]

Sometimes you hit a home run ... Other times you go back to back to back to back to back to back.

This was perhaps the best SP ever. Definetly top 5 though. Just wow.

[Bearcat729]

I didn't really find it funny. Maybe because I have never played WoW

[DeToxRox]

I've never played a MMORPG or whatever it is called but every person I personally know he does is just like that. It was dead on.

[duckman]

When they show the guy playing the bad ass character, I about fell out of my chair because he looks so much like my uncle.

[ISiddiqui]

I thought it was average. I understood the jokes, but didn't particularly make me laugh that much.

[Scoobz0202]

I never played WOW, but that is because the chuck of my life I spent playing the original EQ. This SP hit every stereotype dead on if you ask me. It was awesome.

[cartman]

New episode starts in about 10 minutes. The notes for it say something about Cartman revealing the plot behind the 9/11 attacks.

[terpkristin]

Uh whiskey tango foxtrot.......

This is a major downer so far, far far down from the goodness that was last week's ep.

/tk

[stevew]

Okay, this took a brilliant turn.

[kurtism]

"I have a raging clue right now!"

[ISiddiqui]

i have such a raging clue!

great ending as well :D.

[Galaxy]

Missed it...what happen?

[cartman]

Missed it...what happen?

It'll be on again tonight.

The 80,000 foot view is that someone took a crap in the urinal in the boy's bathroom at school. Cartman found a way to tie it to the 9/11 conspiracies and implicate Kyle. Mix in a little of the Hardly Boys (yes, Hardly), a murderous President Bush and a Cheney with bad aim using a weapon, and you get a little bit about the gist of the episode.

[Galaxy]

It'll be on again tonight.

The 80,000 foot view is that someone took a crap in the urinal in the boy's bathroom at school. Cartman found a way to tie it to the 9/11 conspiracies and implicate Kyle. Mix in a little of the Hardly Boys (yes, Hardly), a murderous President Bush and a Cheney with bad aim using a weapon, and you get a little bit about the gist of the episode.


So were they making fun of Theorists, or actually agreeing with them?

[MrBigglesworth]

So were they making fun of Theorists, or actually agreeing with them?
The theorists are government conspiracies.

[Galaxy]

The theorists are government conspiracies.

Hmmm...

[terpkristin]

Episode 2 of season 10B was a solid "meh" for me.

Bit of a downer after last week's gem.

/tk

[duckman]

I thought the show was brillant. To each his own, I guess.

[sterlingice]

I wasn't all that enthralled with the WoW episode, personally.

SI

[MylesKnight]

Mr. Mackey's descriptions of the "urinal episode" were flipping classic!!

[cartman]

Here's the episode description for tonight's new show. Looks like Cartman once again will ask folks to respect his authoritah.


Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy

Cartman is appointed to the post of School Hallway Monitor at South Park Elementary. In his new role, Cartman takes it personally when an infraction is committed in his jurisdiction. When Kyle discovers that a teacher is having sex with a student, he and Cartman have to team up to put a stop to the inappropriate behavior.

[cartman]

oh sweet jeebus...

I can't believe they are going there!

[DeToxRox]

this is absolutely insane lol

[Scoobz0202]

Oh God, Cartman's team of bounty hunters.

This is amazing. This is one of the bests.

[JeeberD]

I'm sure this would be much funnier if I had ever watched a single episode of that bounty hunter show...

[cartman]

This episode was f'ing brilliant!

[DeToxRox]

Cartmans videos were absolutely hysterical. Exceptional episode.

[duckman]

"Nice."

[Coop]

Wow 3 good episodes of south park in row. it's been awhile since that happen.

[INDalltheway]

Wow 3 good episodes of south park in row. it's been awhile since that happen.
I guess it's been a good time to watch 3 episodes in a row.. It is becoming a Wednesday ritual to watch this season.

[Ksyrup]

That was awesome! I'm still chuckling just thinking about Beth. Every time she came on the screen, I busted out laughing.

[Radii]

I'm sure this would be much funnier if I had ever watched a single episode of that bounty hunter show...

That was what I was thinking while I was watching and wondering if I was going to laugh at anything during the show or not.

[Ksyrup]

I have to admit, the Dog show is a guilty pleasure of ours. It's interesting now that he's in some legal hot water what will happen to the show, but he is an interesting character and has lead an interesting life, to be sure. Great spoof by SP.

[cartman]

For those that missed it last night, the replay is tonight at 10pmE/9pmC.

[Galaxy]

Was just on. Fricken' funny. Love the "Mel Gibson defense".

[stevew]

That was awesome! I'm still chuckling just thinking about Beth. Every time she came on the screen, I busted out laughing.

I liked the intro scene....Beth/Dawg's Bitch.....Kyle/Jew.

[cartman]

Here's the blurb about tonight's episode.


Hell on Earth 2006

Satan is throwing the biggest Halloween costume party ever, and no one will be admitted without a wristband. Satan is busy checking the R.S.V.P. list and deciding what costume to wear to the big event. Every detail must be perfect for the prince of darkness, but even Satan can’t foresee everything.

[cartman]

"Oh, hamburgers!!!"

Tonight's episode is off to a promising start. :)

[General Mike]

Great stuff so far.

[Galaxy]

Hilter as the Verzion guy. LOL.

[cartman]

Gacy, Dahlmer, and Bundy as the Three Stooges. OMFG, I can't believe it.

[DeToxRox]

I literally lost it at the Steve Irwin part.

[cartman]

That should have been an hour long episode. It's obvious they had to cut it short.

[DeToxRox]

This could be a top 5 episode ever.

[General Mike]

It was tremendous.

[Ksyrup]

The murderin' 3 Stooges was the best laugh/cringe/laugh/cringe moment SP has had since the Woodland Critters Christmas episode.

[Galaxy]

It's amazing they write the eposides in a week, and start it after the last eposide.

[bulletsponge]

i didnt like that episode much.