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[[Image:Southparkseason10opening.png|right|thumb|300px]]
[[Image:Southparkseason10opening.png|right|thumb|300px]]
'''''South Park''''' is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning animated cartoon series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone that is shown on American cable network [[Comedy Central]]. It is controversial due to its use of vulgar and obscene language, biting humor, and questionable depictions of religion and other respected institutions. Shows have touched on [[Catholic|Catholicism]], [[Islam]], [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormonism]], [[Judaism]], [[Scientology]], and made jokes about [[Jesus]], [[Moses]], [[Muhammad]] and other religious leaders. Parker and Stone describe themselves as "equal opportunity offenders" and some episodes have made fun of liberal causes, particularly environmentalism and support for legalized [[abortion]]. Other episodes have ridiculed the anti-immigration movement and other conservative causes. Despite this, the show usually does not outrightly condemn any social group; to date, only [[terrorism|terrorists]] and pedophiles have been given such treatment by the show. While [[Scientology]] itself has been heavily mocked, the creators have expressed sympathy for those who have been drawn into it. Because of this criticism of Scientology, [[Isaac Hayes]], who played the singing, promiscuous cafeteria chef, left the show in 2006.<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/south_park_scie.html</ref> (Hayes died in 2008.)
'''''South Park''''' is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning animated cartoon series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone that is shown on American cable network [[Comedy Central]]. It is controversial due to its use of vulgar and obscene language, biting humor, and questionable depictions of religion and other respected institutions. Shows have touched on [[Catholic|Catholicism]], [[Islam]], [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|Mormonism]], [[Judaism]], [[Scientology]], and made jokes about [[Jesus]], [[Moses]], [[Muhammad]] and other religious leaders.
==Premise==
Taking place in the small town of South Park, Colorado, the show follows four friends: Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman. Due to the low quality animation that South Park utilizes, the majority of episodes are made in less than a week, allowing for the creators to change their storylines at the last minute. For example, an early episode entitled ''Quintuplets 2000'' was changed to reflect the controversy surrounding Elian Gonzalez at the time. In fact, many of the situations depicted are parodies of current events in politics and pop culture.
A running gag in the early seasons revolved Kenny dying in every episode, often in brutal ways, but his character would return the following episode, fully alive and with no one commenting on his previous death(s). The tradition was abandoned when Kenny was "killed off" for good for several seasons, before returning.
==Movie==
Of the 1999 ''South Park'' movie, ''South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut,'' movie reviewer [[Roger Ebert]] said "The film is rated R instead of NC-17 only because it's a cartoon, I suspect; even so, the [[MPAA]] has a lot of 'splaining to do," meaning presumably that Ebert believes it should have been rated NC-17. "Waves of four-letter words roll out over the audience," he says. Parker and Stone have stated that they pressured the MPAA into giving the film an 'R' rating, as it had been given an NC-17 rating three times previously despite minor edits. <ref>http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0001322.cfm</ref>
Of the 1999 ''South Park'' movie, ''South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut,'' movie reviewer [[Roger Ebert]] said "The film is rated R instead of NC-17 only because it's a cartoon, I suspect; even so, the [[MPAA]] has a lot of 'splaining to do," meaning presumably that Ebert believes it should have been rated NC-17. "Waves of four-letter words roll out over the audience," he says. Parker and Stone have stated that they pressured the MPAA into giving the film an 'R' rating, as it had been given an NC-17 rating three times previously despite minor edits. <ref>http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0001322.cfm</ref>
A month later, Ebert modified his opinion: "I gave 'South Park' a marginal thumbs down (2.5 stars) because of what I called the movie's mean spirit, but I did like its intelligence and energy, and as the smoke clears from the summer of 1999 it's clear to me that this was a movie that took chances and made scathing criticisms of the broken-down [[MPAA rating system]]. I got carried away by my immediate reaction; but at least I was right when I called it 'the most slashing political commentary of the year'."<ref>http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990829/ANSWERMAN/908290306</ref>
A month later, Ebert modified his opinion: "I gave 'South Park' a marginal thumbs down (2.5 stars) because of what I called the movie's mean spirit, but I did like its intelligence and energy, and as the smoke clears from the summer of 1999 it's clear to me that this was a movie that took chances and made scathing criticisms of the broken-down [[MPAA rating system]]. I got carried away by my immediate reaction; but at least I was right when I called it 'the most slashing political commentary of the year'."<ref>http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990829/ANSWERMAN/908290306</ref>
==Reception==
''South Park'' has been praised for its often blunt [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] viewpoints on many political, moral, and social issues of the day. For example, in "Chinpokomon" (a satire of the Pokemon craze), the boys learn that blindly following a trend can be dangerous, and that it's best to just be yourself. In "Super Best Friends," we discover that [[Jesus]], [[Muhammad]], [[Buddha]], [[Moses]], [[Joseph Smith]], and [[Krishna]] are all friends, even though countries have gone to war over them.
''South Park'' has been praised for its often blunt [[Libertarianism|libertarian]] viewpoints on many political, moral, and social issues of the day. For example, in "Chinpokomon" (a satire of the Pokemon craze), the boys learn that blindly following a trend can be dangerous, and that it's best to just be yourself. In "Super Best Friends," we discover that [[Jesus]], [[Muhammad]], [[Buddha]], [[Moses]], [[Joseph Smith]], and [[Krishna]] are all friends, even though countries have gone to war over them.
==Politics==
Parker and Stone describe themselves as "equal opportunity offenders" and some episodes have made fun of liberal causes, particularly environmentalism and support for legalized [[abortion]]. Other episodes have ridiculed the anti-immigration movement and other conservative causes. Despite this, the show usually does not outrightly condemn any social group; to date, only [[terrorism|terrorists]] and pedophiles have been given such treatment by the show. While [[Scientology]] itself has been heavily mocked, the creators have expressed sympathy for those who have been drawn into it.
There is a form of anti-censorship, libertarian-leaning conservatism known as "South Park Republicans" and "South Park Conservatives." The creators are uneasy about stating their political views (even hesitating to declare themselves libertarians) <ref>Charlie Rose interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtLudQtIGs </ref>, though they note that of all the different groups they mock, [[Hollywood values|Hollywood Liberals]] display the most indignance. <ref> Interview on The Hour, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLyVm4Rr2eo </ref> Matt Stone has stated, "I hate conservatives, but I really (expletive) hate liberals." <ref>http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_rp-hate_conservatives.htm</ref> As of recently, however, South Park has taken a more liberal tone, including mocking [[Glenn Beck]] and portraying [[Tea Party|"The Pissed Off And Angry Party"]] as sexually-insecure men who lack knowledge about government.
There is a form of anti-censorship, libertarian-leaning conservatism known as "South Park Republicans" and "South Park Conservatives." The creators are uneasy about stating their political views (even hesitating to declare themselves libertarians) <ref>Charlie Rose interview, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqtLudQtIGs </ref>, though they note that of all the different groups they mock, [[Hollywood values|Hollywood Liberals]] display the most indignance. <ref> Interview on The Hour, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLyVm4Rr2eo </ref> Matt Stone has stated, "I hate conservatives, but I really (expletive) hate liberals." <ref>http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_rp-hate_conservatives.htm</ref> As of recently, however, South Park has taken a more liberal tone, including mocking [[Glenn Beck]] and portraying [[Tea Party|"The Pissed Off And Angry Party"]] as sexually-insecure men who lack knowledge about government.
This show is known as an equal opportunity offender of religions and popular for making people laugh at the expense of others. Nearly every episode uses the [[Lord]]'s name in vain. Their depictions of the prophet Mohammed may even get the show's creators killed as extremist Muslims have issued death threats. <ref>[http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=144313 Islamic warning to 'South Park' still 'remains', WND, April 22, 2010]</ref>
This show is known as an equal opportunity offender of religions and popular for making people laugh at the expense of others. Nearly every episode uses the [[Lord]]'s name in vain. Their depictions of the prophet Mohammed may even get the show's creators killed as extremist Muslims have issued death threats. <ref>[http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=144313 Islamic warning to 'South Park' still 'remains', WND, April 22, 2010]</ref>
==Controversies==
After the episode ''Trapped in the Closet'', an episode which dealt with Scientology, Isaac Hayes left the show in 2006.<ref>http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/08/south_park_scie.html</ref> Following Isaac's departure, the character of Chef was killed off the following season. Chef's death was a parody of the third episode of the [[Star Wars]] saga, which left the possibility of Chef returning to the show. However, following Isaac's death in 2008, the character will obviously not return.
In 2010, the episodes ''200'' and ''201'', the 200th and 201st episodes respectively, caused controversy for depicting Muhammad. The celebrities that South Park has mocked over the years band together, and they decide that they need Muhammad, as they believe he is "unmockable," given the reactions to a Danish newspaper's printing of critical cartoons of Muhammad. Following the airing of the episode 200, threats were made against the creators of South Park. In ''201'', several minutes of dialogue at the end of the episode were bleeped out. The episodes are not available for streaming on the internet or on Netflix on Demand. Despite the flurry of controversy surrounding the depiction of Muhammad, the prophet was depicted in the episode ''Super Best Friends'' with no controversy.
==Main Characters==
==Main Characters==
The vast majority of episodes focus on four native South Park boys in the third and later fourth grade, often referred to as just "the boys":
The vast majority of episodes focus on four native South Park boys in the third and later fourth grade, often referred to as just "the boys". The creators of South Park have stated that their personalities are usually reflected through Kyle & Stan.
===Stan Marsh===
===Stan Marsh===