AlthoughSouth Parkseason 27 won’t arrive for a while, the outing does promise to bring back a missing part of the show’s formula. While this might be hard for viewers to recall,South Parkwasn’t always a timely political satire. The show’s unique production schedule, which sees every episode of South Parkwritten, animated, and aired in a period of only five days, makes it perfectly suited to topical social commentary. However, the first few seasons of South Parkwere nothing like its recent outings, focusing primarily on shock value, gross-out comedy, and gore over politics and culture.
It’s Too Late For South Park Season 27 To Reverse Its Weirdest Parody
Although South Park season 27 should change one character’s confusing dual role in the show, it’s too late for the series to clarify their part.
WhileSouth Parkseason 27is expected to comment on real-life political scandals and cultural concerns, this wasn’t the case for the show’s earliest outings.South Parkwas originally a freewheeling showcase for absurd, immature silliness, and its focus on social satire only emerged in season 4.South Parkseason 27’s delayed release datemeans the show will be avoiding the 2024 election entirely, signaling that its creators may not be interested in this intensely timely, topical style of satire anymore.South Park’s co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone hinted at this in a rare recent interview.
South Park Season 27 May Be Less Topical And Timely
South Park’s Co-Creators Have Grown Tired Of Its News-Centric Stories
South Park’s creators signaled a return to zanier, less topical comedyin a September 2024VanityFairinterview, noting that the show’s relentless focus on topical humor can become tiresome and predictable. Per Matt Stone, it is “Way more fun to be like, Cartman’s going to dress up like a robot” than it is to follow news stories as they develop and find a way to incorporate them into the world of the series. The show’s small-town setting means that the show’s attempts to center world events can sometimes feel strained, as evidenced bySouth Park’s handling of Donald Trump.
Aware that the series needed to focus on the famous political candidate,South Park’s creators began to use the show’s existing supporting character Mr. Garrison as a stand-in for Trump in 2015. This worked well while Trump was only a candidate, allowing the series to mock his outlandish public statements while keeping things relevant to the town of South Park via Garrison. However, when Trump became president, things became more complicated.South Parkwas never quite clear on where Garrison’s personality ended and its Trump parody began, resulting in uneven, unfocused writing. Season 27 could now avoid this fate.
South Park Season 27’s Shift To Character Comedy Is Overdue
South Park’s Reliance On Current Events Shortchanges Its Heroes
Some ofSouth Park’s best episodes have plotsthat don’t center on timely political events, and some of its worst outings failed precisely because they focused too heavily on now-obscure news stories. Political satire that highlights specific events tends to age poorly as it is intensely timely. WhileSaturday Night Live’s goofier, looser digital shorts and skits sometimes remain popular years after their original release, fewer viewers seek out old installments of the show’s Weekend Update segments. Many timely episodes ofSouth Parksuffer the same fate.
South Park’s Kenny, Kyle, Cartman, Stan, and Butters are a big part of the reason that viewers return to the show.
It is good forSouth Parkseason 27 to center character comedyas this gives the long-running series a chance to return to one of its underused strengths.South Park’s Kenny, Kyle, Cartman, Stan, and Butters are a big part of the reason that viewers return to the show, and they are often shortchanged by plots that spend their screen time focusing on broad parodies of real-life political figures. The fact thatSouth Parknever parodied Joe Bidenproves the show has already begun to ease its focus on topical storylines, as doesSouth Park’s recent feature-length specials.
South Park’s Recent Seasons Prove This Move Makes Sense
Some of South Park’s Best Recent Outings Centered Character Comedy
Specials likeJoining the PanderverseandThe End of Obesitystill center on recent events, but they are more focused on broad social trends than specific political figures or news stories. The Ozempic craze and battles over diversity in media are both big stories that won’t be going anywhere any time soon, soSouth Park’s commentary is less likely to feel immediately outdated. Meanwhile, some of the best episodes inSouth Park’s recent seasons have been stronger in their decision to ignore current events. Season 25, episode 5, “Help, My Teenager Hates Me!” and season 26, episode 3, “Japanese Toilet,” highlight this.
In aVanityFairinterview,South Parkco-creator Trey Parker said“I don’t know what more we could possibly say about Trump."
Both of these outings centerSouth Park’s young main characters instead of a fleeting news story, and they are among the most re-watchable episodes of their respective seasons as a result.Not all ofSouth Park’s storylines workeven when they are focused on the main gang, but the show is still overdue a season that prioritizes them over covering current events. As such, the news ofSouth Parkseason 27’s shifting focus is positive.
