How ‘South Park' became the buzziest thing on TV — in its 27th season
A brief summary:
Trump is having a sexual relationship with Satan, a privilege once reserved for Saddam Hussein (see: the 1999 movie 'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'). Satan is a little disappointed in the size of the president's penis.
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In a private room at Mar-a-Lago, Dora the Explorer, who has been kidnapped by ICE agents, is found giving a man an intimate massage.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem goes on a rampage gunning down puppies — a reference to Noem's
Vice President JD Vance is depicted as Tattoo, the little person portrayed by Hervé Villechaize in the original 'Fantasy Island,' welcoming guests to Mar-a-Lago. At one point, Trump, wearing a white suit worthy of Ricardo Montalban's Mr. Roarke, literally boots him offscreen.
And so on.
The White House responded to all of this by declaring that the series 'hasn't been relevant for over 20 years,' reaffirming that 'South Park' is actually more relevant than ever. Comedy Central announced this week that episode 2 of the new season had more than 6 million multi-platform viewers and the biggest audience share (the percentage of the television audience watching a particular program at one time) in the history of the series, which premiered in 1997. (In lieu of a new episode on Aug. 13, Comedy Central also proclaimed this Wednesday 'South Park Day,' which kind of sounds like something 'South Park' would take pleasure in mocking. Episode 3 of the new season is scheduled to drop on Aug. 20).
'South Park' is, by definition, ridiculous, and I mean that in the best possible way. The very first episode, which ran Wednesday instead of a new installment, was called 'Cartman Gets an Anal Probe' (I still remember it fondly). The show works in broad strokes; Noem wasn't entirely wrong when she took 'South Park' to task for hitting the easiest possible elements of her persona (shooting dogs, trying to look glamorous as she does inhumane things). But that's how satire often works. It pinpoints dominant traits and hammers away at them. And when Parker and Stone ridicule something, or someone, it means they deem those targets ridiculous. Not scary. Not corrupt. Ridiculous.
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In the past, Parker and Stone have shown an eagerness to take on both liberal pieties and conservative sacred cows; they drew the ire of Sean Penn after depicting him and other famous Hollywood denizens as deluded, self-righteous crusaders in the 2004 film 'Team America: World Police.' Parker and Stone lean libertarian, which gives them more people to insult and enrage.
But there's something perfect about the current 'South Park' moment. A series that detractors dismiss as crude and over-the-top has gotten under the skin of a president whose rhetoric has more in common with professional wrestling and internet trolling than diplomacy. The show is addressing him with blunt force mockery, a tone that he understands. And people are watching — not just NPR listeners, but also 'South Park' bros, many of whom presumably voted for Trump. Equal-opportunity offenders pull in an eclectic crowd.
In summary: Parker and Stone got paid. Paramount got its merger. 'South Park' ratings are through the roof. And political satire and democracy live another day.
Chris Vognar can be reached at
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