South Park (season 1)

Last updated

South Park
Season 1
SouthPark season1.jpg
Home media release cover
No. of episodes13
Release
Original network Comedy Central
Original releaseAugust 13, 1997 (1997-08-13) 
February 25, 1998 (1998-02-25)
Season chronology
Next 
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the animated television series South Park aired on Comedy Central from August 13, 1997 to February 25, 1998. [1] The creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote most of the season's episodes; Dan Sterling, Philip Stark and David Goodman were credited with writing five episodes. The narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick—and their unusual experiences in the titular mountain town.

Contents

South Park originated from Parker and Stone's 1992 animated short, The Spirit of Christmas (also known as Jesus vs. Frosty). The low-budget, crudely made film featured prototypes of South Park's main characters and was followed in 1995 by another short film of the same name, generally referred to as Jesus vs. Santa, which became popular and was widely shared over the Internet. The short's popularity caused Parker and Stone to develop a series based on it, and the project was first considered for purchase by the Fox Broadcasting Company. Fox ultimately passed on the show, and Comedy Central signed on to produce the series instead. South Park debuted on August 13, 1997 on Comedy Central with an initial run of six episodes; due to its success, an additional seven episodes were quickly produced. The complete season was released on DVD in November 2002.

The first season was a ratings success for Comedy Central. The Nielsen ratings rose from 1.3 to 6.4 from the first to the tenth episode. Several episodes received award nominations, including for a 1998 Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)" and a GLAAD Award in the "Outstanding TV – Individual Episode" category for the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride". During the season, South Park won a CableACE Award for "Best Animated Series" and was nominated for a 1998 Annie Award in the "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program".

The show was a financial success for Comedy Central and helped the network transform into "a cable industry power almost overnight". [2]

Voice cast

George Clooney (pictured in 2016), made a guest appearance in "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" George Clooney 2016.jpg
George Clooney (pictured in 2016), made a guest appearance in "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride"

Main cast

Guest cast

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [1] Prod.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)
11"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" Trey Parker [3] Trey Parker & Matt Stone August 13, 1997 (1997-08-13)1010.89 [4]
Cartman tells his friends Stan, Kyle, and Kenny he had a dream about being abducted by aliens. The boys realize that this did actually happen when Kyle's baby brother, Ike is abducted also. They manage to rescue Ike while the aliens conclude that cows are the most intelligent species on the planet.
22"Volcano"Trey Parker & Matt StoneTrey Parker & Matt StoneAugust 20, 1997 (1997-08-20)1031.11 [5]
Stan's uncle Jimbo and his friend Ned take the four boys on a hunting trip in the mountains. Stan's father, a geologist, discovers that the mountain is a volcano about to erupt and convinces the townspeople to dig a trench for diverting the lava.
33"Weight Gain 4000"Trey Parker & Matt StoneTrey Parker & Matt StoneAugust 27, 1997 (1997-08-27)1020.72 [6]
The town prepares for an event involving Kathie Lee Gifford presenting an award to Cartman. He tries to lose weight but instead becomes even more obese from a body gaining supplement called Weight Gain 4000. Meanwhile, the boys' teacher Mr. Garrison, attempts to assassinate Gifford.
44"Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride"Trey Parker [7] Trey Parker & Matt Stone [7] September 3, 1997 (1997-09-03)1040.69 [8]
Stan's new, gay dog runs away and finds the town's most flamboyant, gayest man, Big Gay Al. The South Park Elementary Cows lose a football game against a rival team as Jimbo and Ned fail to sabotage the game.
55"An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig"Trey Parker (uncredited)Trey Parker, Matt Stone & Dan Sterling September 10, 1997 (1997-09-10)1051.29 [9]
The boys try to breed a pig with an elephant and look for Dr. Alphonse Mephesto's help. Instead, Dr. Mephisto creates a clone of Stan that terrorizes the town.
66"Death"Matt StoneTrey Parker & Matt StoneSeptember 17, 1997 (1997-09-17)1061.13 [10]
Stan's grandfather attempts suicide and tries to enlist the boy's help. Kyle's mother organizes a boycott against the boys' favorite television series Terrance and Phillip in protest of its toilet humor.
77"Pinkeye"Trey Parker & Matt StoneTrey Parker, Matt Stone & Philip Stark October 29, 1997 (1997-10-29)1072.67 [11]
1.73 [12]
(HH) [lower-alpha 1]
Kenny is killed by the Mir space station and becomes a zombie. This goes unnoticed as he is thought to have dressed up for Halloween. The citizens who get bitten become zombies but instead are diagnosed with pinkeye.
88"Starvin' Marvin"Trey ParkerTrey ParkerNovember 19, 1997 (1997-11-19)1093.68 [13]
2.20 [14]
(HH) [lower-alpha 1]
A starving Ethiopian child is accidentally sent to South Park. Cartman is sent back to Ethiopia instead, while mutant turkeys begin rampaging through the town.
99"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo"Trey Parker & Matt StoneTrey ParkerDecember 17, 1997 (1997-12-17)1104.55 [15]
As a Jew, Kyle feels excluded from the rest of the town during Christmas and is comforted by Mr. Hankey, a talking, singing feces. Kyle's mom protests the school's Christmas play leading to the removal of all religious aspects of Christmas from the entire town.
1010"Damien"Trey ParkerTrey Parker & Matt StoneFebruary 4, 1998 (1998-02-04)1085.55 [16]
3.01 [17]
(HH) [lower-alpha 1]
A new student arranges a boxing match between Satan and Jesus. The South Park residents bet on Satan due to his enormous size and muscular physique, but Satan throws the fight and wins everybody's money after having bet on Jesus. Meanwhile, Cartman has a birthday party.
1111"Tom's Rhinoplasty"Trey Parker (uncredited)Trey ParkerFebruary 11, 1998 (1998-02-11)1114.68 [18]
2.87 [19]
(HH) [lower-alpha 1]
Mr. Garrison gets a rhinoplasty and quits teaching to become a model. Stan develops a crush on the substitute teacher Ms. Ellen (unaware that she is a lesbian), causing fellow classmate Wendy Testaburger to become jealous; soon, Ms. Ellen is discovered to be an Iraqi fugitive and is kidnapped by insurgents to be executed, but it is implied that Wendy may have orchestrated the whole thing.
1212"Mecha-Streisand"Trey ParkerTrey Parker, Philip Stark & Matt StoneFebruary 18, 1998 (1998-02-18)1125.38 [20]
3.21 [21]
(HH) [lower-alpha 1]
Mr. Garrison takes his class on an archaeological dig where Cartman finds a mysterious triangle. Barbra Streisand steals this triangle and becomes Mecha-Streisand, a giant robot that wreaks havoc upon the town.
1313"Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut"Trey ParkerTrey Parker & David R. GoodmanFebruary 25, 1998 (1998-02-25)1135.40 [22]
3.20 [23]
(HH) [lower-alpha 1]
Cartman attempts to find his real father only to find that his mother slept with just about every man in town. Aided by Stan and Kyle, he manages to raise the money for a paternity DNA test after sending a video to America's Stupidest Home Videos.

Development

The idea for South Park originated in 1992 when creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone met in a film class as students at the University of Colorado. They discussed filming a three-minute short film involving a boy who befriended a talking piece of feces named Mr. Hankey. Although such a short was never made, [24] Parker and Stone created a Christmas-related animated short commonly known as "Jesus vs. Frosty". The crude, low-budget animation featured prototypes for the main characters of South Park, including Cartman, Stan and Kyle. Fox Broadcasting Company executive Brian Graden saw the film and in 1995 sent a check of $1,200 to Parker and Stone asking them to create a second short film that he could send to his friends as a Christmas video card. Titled The Spirit of Christmas, but also known as "Jesus vs. Santa", the short resembled the style of the later series more closely. [25] In 1997, The Spirit of Christmas won the Los Angeles Films Critics Association award for "Best Animation", thus further bringing the two filmmakers to the attention of industry representatives. [26]

The "Jesus vs. Santa" video was widely copied and shared over the Internet. George Clooney was reported to have made 300 copies for his friends, and the short was subsequently regarded as likely the first viral video. [2] The popularity of the short led to Parker and Stone to develop an adult-animated show concept with four children as main protagonists and the fictional town of South Park in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Through Graden, the duo persuaded Fox to buy their series due to its reputation with primetime edgier shows such as Cops, The Simpsons , and The X-Files . Fox set up a meeting at its office in Century City to discuss with Parker and Stone on how the show would proceed. It did not go well; Fox hated Mr. Hankey being included in the show, as they felt a talking stool character would not fly well with its viewers. Parker and Stone refused to honor Fox's requests to remove the character and completely severed ties with the network as a result. [27] [28] [29]

Later, Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog saw the Jesus vs. Santa short and considered it to be "literally the funniest thing [he]'d ever seen," and requested Parker and Stone to develop a show for his network. [2] During the negotiations, Parker and Stone brought up the idea of a Mr. Hankey episode, with Parker claiming to have asked that "one thing we have to know before we really go any further: how do you feel about talking poo?" [24] The network's executives were receptive to the idea, [30] which would be one of the main reasons Parker and Stone decided to sign on with the channel. The first episode of the series, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", debuted on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997, while Mr. Hankey debuted a few months later in the ninth episode, "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo". [24]

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in 2007 Trey Parker Matt Stone 2007.jpg
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in 2007

The pilot episode received poor results from test audiences. [31] Parker later conceded that regarding the language, he and Stone felt pressure to live up to their previous two shorts and "tried to push things ... maybe further than we should [have]." [32] In contrast, they allowed subsequent episodes to "be more natural", [33] focusing more on making fun of topics considered taboo "without just throwing a bunch of dirty words in there." [32] After the poor results from the test audience, Comedy Central executives were unsure whether they wanted to order additional episodes after "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe". However, when buzz began to generate on the Internet about the two original shorts, the network commissioned Parker and Stone to write one more episode without committing to a full series until they had seen the script. While working on the 1997 film Orgazmo , Parker and Stone wrote the script for what would later become the episode "Weight Gain 4000". The duo sought to give Comedy Central executives an idea of how the series would be and how each episode could differ from the others. The network liked the script, and when Parker and Stone refused to write another script before signing off on at least six episodes, the executives agreed to commit to a series. [31]

Comedy Central originally ordered only these six episodes, but when the show proved successful, they requested an additional seven, which Parker and Stone had to produce quickly. "Pinkeye", the first of these new episodes, would air on October 29, 1997, only two and a half months after the show's premiere. [34] [35] There were three holiday episodes—"Pinkeye", "Starvin' Marvin" and "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo"—which aired at intervals of three weeks, while the remaining four aired later in February 1998. [36]

"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" was the only episode animated almost completely with traditional cut paper, stop-motion animation techniques. [37] All subsequent episodes would be fully computer-animated using Power Animator or Maya. [38] By the eighth episode, "Damien", much of the drawing and animation responsibilities handled by Parker and Stone were now being delegated to a team of animators. [39] This would be the only episode aside from "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" to receive a TV-14 (unsuitable for children under the age of 14) rating instead of the show's customary TV-MA (unsuitable for under the age of 17). [40] Parker and Stone credit the fourth episode, "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride", with helping to raise the ratings during the early part of the season. They felt that the show's first official Christmas special, "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo", brought South Park to a new level of popularity, and Parker said this episode "just vaulted everything." [24]

Reception

Ratings

South Park's first season was a ratings success for Comedy Central. [41] "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" earned a Nielsen rating of 1.3, translating to 980,000 viewers, which was considered high for a cable program in the United States at the time. [41] It increased slightly by the third episode, "Weight Gain 4000", and by the sixth episode, "Death", the show had reached a rating of 1.7. [41] In the releases of "Starvin' Marvin'", "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" and "Damien", three consecutive episodes, the Nielsen ratings rose: 4.8, 5.2 and 6.4, respectively. [41] Changes in ratings of episodes from "Pinkeye" to "Mecha-Streisand" corresponded to an increase to 5.4 million viewers in 3.2 million households. [42] [43] The season finale, "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut", received a Nielsen rating in the 8.0 range [44] and gained over 300,000 viewers when first aired in Canada in August 1998. [45] [46]

South Park became one of the first television series to be bootlegged via the Internet, just as The Spirit of Christmas had been before it. College students digitized many episodes from the first season and streamed them online for friends who were unable to receive Comedy Central. [47]

Critics

Despite high ratings, reviews from television critics for the season were mixed. Both The Washington Post and The New York Times had three articles mentioning the show, usually in terms of "class-based taste arguments." [26] "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", the first episode of the series, received generally negative reviews after airing. Bruce Fretts of Entertainment Weekly thought poorly of the writing and characters, lampooning that "if only the kids' jokes were as fresh as their mouths" and that "it might help if the South Park kids had personalities, but they're as one-dimensional as the show's cut-and-paste animation." [48] Calling the series "sophomoric, gross, and unfunny," Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel reckoned that the episode made "such a bad impression that it's hard to get on the show's strange wavelength." [49] Tom Shales of The Washington Post considered that "most of the alleged humor on the premiere is self-conscious and self-congratulatory in its vulgarity: flatulence jokes, repeated use of the word 'dildo' (in the literal as well as pejorative sense), and a general air of malicious unpleasantness." [2]

When "Weight Gain 4000" aired, many writers in the mainstream media were still debating the longevity and the overall quality of South Park. With the series still in its earliest stages, the episode continued to shock many due to the characters frequent use of profanities. [50] Nevertheless, several reviewers felt "Weight Gain 4000" was a significant improvement over "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" and felt that it went in a much more satirical direction. [51] [52] Several media outlets described the fifth episode of the season, "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig", as one of the most popular early episodes. [53] [54] [55] Tom Carson of Newsday said it was the most outrageous South Park episode until "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" aired three months later. [56] Many reviewers also said this mere title demonstrated the crudeness and originality of South Park. [30] [57]

Due to its impact, South Park made the cover of Rolling Stone in February 1998, [58] and of Newsweek in March 1998. [59] It was discussed in five different New York Times articles in 1998. [26] Franck Rich of The New York Times mentions the show's "ability to engage political topics with far more success than other (more obviously political) shows" and considered that the show "is hilariously candid about faith, family and death as well" and "is neither politically correct nor incorrect; it's on a different, post-ideological comic map altogether." [60] In 2002, Jeremy Conrad of IGN wrote in a DVD review that it is rare when a television season is "perfect", but "the first season of South Park comes pretty damn close" and that "almost every single episode in this three-disc set is a classic and each is still funny as hell even after so many viewings over the years." [61]

In 2008, scholar Stephen Groening argued that the show appeared as part of a reaction to the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990s in the United States, in which issues such as Murphy Brown's motherhood, Tinky Winky's sexuality, and The Simpsons ' family values were extensively debated. The culture wars, and political correctness in particular, were driven by the belief that relativism was becoming more relevant to daily life. Groening explained that South Park "made a name for itself as rude, crude, vulgar, offensive, and potentially dangerous". Its critics argued that the Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny were poor role models for children while its supporters celebrated the show's defense of free speech. [62]

Impact on Comedy Central

In 2006, Devin Leonard of Fortune regarded that the launch of South Park transformed Comedy Central from a "not-so-funny" network to "a cable industry power almost overnight." [2] The impact the show had ended up surprising everybody involved. [2] At the time, the cable network had a low distribution of just 21 million subscribers. [26] Comedy Central marketed the show aggressively before its launch, billing it as "that's why they invented the V-chip." The resulting buzz led to the network earning an estimated $30 million in T-shirts sales alone before the first episode was even aired. [26]

South Park became immediately one of the most popular shows on cable television, averaging consistently between 3.5 and 5.5 million viewers. [26] The Denver-based Tele-Communications Inc., the largest cable operator in the U.S. at the time, had just dropped Comedy Central, but when South Park debuted, Denver newspapers and radio stations heavily criticized the operator for not carrying the hit show of the two local filmmakers—Parker and Stone. [2] Doug Herzog, Comedy Central's president at the time, said that the public "went nuts" as the network received about ten million new subscriptions through Tele-Communications Inc. alone, "which at that time was unheard of." [2]

An affiliate of the MTV Network until then, Comedy Central decided, in part due to the success of South Park, to have its own independent sales department. [63] By the end of 1998, Comedy Central had sold more than $150 million worth of merchandise for the show, including T-shirts and dolls. [43] Over the next few years, Comedy Central's viewership spiked largely due to South Park, adding 3 million new subscribers in the first half of 1998 alone and allowed the network to sign international deals with networks in several countries. [26]

Awards

Some episodes of the first season received nominations for several entertainment awards. The season's fourth episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride" was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1998 in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)" category [7] but lost to The Simpsons episode "Trash of the Titans". [64] The same episode was also nominated for a GLAAD Award in the "Outstanding TV – Individual Episode" category [65] but lost to another The Simpsons episode, "Homer's Phobia". [66] "Volcano", the season's third episode, was nominated for an Environmental Media Award in the "TV Episodic Comedy" category [67] but ended up losing to another The Simpsons episode, "The Old Man & the Lisa". [68] [69]

During the series first season, South Park won a CableACE Award for "Best Animated Program or Series" [70] and was nominated for an Annie Award in the "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program" category. [71] In 1998, the two creators of the show Matt Stone and Trey Parker won the "Nova Award" given by the Producers Guild of America for the most promising producers in television. [72] [73]

Home media

South Park – The Complete First Season [74] [75]
DVD Set Details
  • 13 Episodes
  • 3-disc Set
  • 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Special Features [76]
  • Episode introductions by Trey Parker and Matt Stone
  • Cartman "O Holy Night" video
  • Ned "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" video
  • Four original television promos
  • "A South Park Thanksgiving" featured exclusively on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
  • The four boys presenting at the 1997 CableACE Awards
Release Dates [77] [78] [79]
Region 1 Region 2Region 4
November 12, 2002October 22, 2005October 4, 2005

Six episodes—"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe", "Weight Gain 4000", "Volcano", "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride", "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig" and "Death"—were released in a three-VHS set on May 5, 1998, marking the first time South Park was made available on video. [80] The first DVD releases came later that year, when the first Thirteen episodes were released by Warner Home Video on October 27 on the compilation collections South Park, Volume 1, [81] Volume 2 [82] and Volume 3. [83] The last episode of the season "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut" was released on the South Park, Volume 4 on December 14, 1999. [84]

South Park – The Complete First Season was originally released by Warner Home Video as a three-disc region 1 DVD box set in the U.S. on November 12, 2002 and received an MA rating. [77] [85] The season was re-released on June 29, 2005 by Paramount Home Entertainment. The DVD releases featured bonus material such as introductions for each episode, two Christmas carols by Eric Cartman and Ned, a short clip featuring Jay Leno and another clip in which the four boys present at the 1997 CableACE Awards. Trey Parker and Matt Stone produced commentaries for each episode but requested they be pulled off altogether when they found out the commentaries would be edited. Instead, the commentaries were released unedited by Comedy Central on a set of five CDs. [76] In October 2005, South Park: Complete Series 1 was released in Australia [79] and with a 15 rating in region 2. [78] "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" was released again on November 13, 2005 on the compilation DVD Christmas Time in South Park. [86]

The distribution licenses for six episodes of the South Park's first season ("Volcano", "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig", "Pinkeye", "Damien", "Starvin' Marvin" and "Mecha-Streisand") were purchased in 2000 by the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company and website SightSound.com. The site made the episodes available for download for $2.50 for a two-day copy and for $4.95 for a permanent copy. It was one of the first experiments with downloadable television videos, thus making South Park one of the first shows legally obtainable on the Internet. [87] [88] In March 2008, Comedy Central made the first season's episodes as well as almost all other South Park episodes available for legal streaming on the South Park Studios website from within U.S., [89] and later from within Canada [90] and the United Kingdom. [91]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 (HH) indicates the amount of households an episode was viewed in when it premiered.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Broflovski</span> Fictional character in South Park

Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the series' four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman. He debuted on television when South Park first aired on August 13, 1997, after having first appeared in The Spirit of Christmas shorts created by Stone and long-time collaborator Trey Parker in 1992 and 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Mackey</span> South Park character

Mr. Mackey Jr. is a fictional character in the adult animated television series South Park. He is voiced by series co-creator Trey Parker and debuted in the season one episode "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo". The school counselor at South Park Elementary, he is best known for saying "m'kay" at the end of most of his sentences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartman Gets an Anal Probe</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of South Park

"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" is the series premiere of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 13, 1997. The episode introduces child protagonists Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, Stanley "Stan" Marsh and Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick, who attempt to rescue Kyle's adopted brother Ike from being abducted by aliens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simpsons Already Did It</span> 7th episode of the 6th season of South Park

"Simpsons Already Did It" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series South Park and the 86th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 26, 2002. In the episode, which continues on from the events of the previous episode "Professor Chaos," Butters thinks up a series of schemes to take over the world, but realizes that each one has already been performed on the show The Simpsons. Meanwhile, Ms. Choksondik dies and Cartman, Kyle and Stan think that they are responsible.

"Damien" is the tenth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 4, 1998. In the episode, the boys' class is joined by a new student named Damien, who has been sent by his father Satan to find Jesus and arrange a boxing match between the two. The majority of South Park's residents bet on Satan to win the match due to his enormous size and muscular physique, but Satan ultimately throws the fight and reveals he bet on Jesus, thus winning everybody's money.

"Starvin' Marvin" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 19, 1997. In the episode, Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan send money to an African charity hoping to get a sports watch, but are instead sent an Ethiopian child whom they dub "Starvin' Marvin". Later, Cartman is accidentally sent to Ethiopia, where he learns activist Sally Struthers is hoarding the charity's food for herself. In an accompanying subplot, after genetically engineered turkeys attack South Park residents, Chef rallies the residents to fight back, in a parody of the film Braveheart.

"Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American animated television series South Park. The 22nd episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 19, 1998. The episode was written by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Nancy M. Pimental, and directed by Parker.

"Mecha-Streisand" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 18, 1998. In the episode, Barbra Streisand obtains the Diamond of Pantheos from Stan, Cartman, Kyle and Kenny, and transforms into a giant mechanical dinosaur called Mecha-Streisand. She is ultimately defeated by The Cure frontman Robert Smith, who himself transforms into a giant moth monster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo</span> 9th episode of the 1st season of South Park

"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 17, 1997. The episode follows Kyle as he feels excluded from the town's Christmas celebrations due to being Jewish, finding solace in Mr. Hankey, a sentient piece of feces. Mr. Hankey does not come alive in the presence of other characters, who consequently think that Kyle is delusional. Meanwhile, the townspeople remove all religious aspects of Christmas to remain politically correct and inoffensive.

"Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut" is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 25, 1998. The episode is the highest viewed episode in the entire South Park series, with 6.4 million views. It is part one of a two-episode story arc, which concluded with "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut". The episode follows Eric Cartman, one of the show's child protagonists, becoming curious about the identity of his father. He discovers that his father is most likely a man his mother had sexual intercourse with during an annual party called "The Drunken Barn Dance". Meanwhile, his friends Stan, Kyle and Kenny participate on America's Stupidest Home Videos, after filming Cartman playing in his yard with plush toys.

"A Very Crappy Christmas" is the 17th and final episode of the fourth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 65th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on December 20, 2000. In the episode, Kyle awaits Mr. Hankey on Christmas, but he does not show up. To try to spread some Christmas cheer, Kyle and the boys decide to create their own animated special.

<i>South Park</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 1, 1998. The second season concluded after 18 episodes on January 20, 1999; it remains the longest season of South Park to date. Almost all the episodes were directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, with the exception of two episodes directed by Eric Stough.

<i>South Park</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The third season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, aired on Comedy Central from April 7, 1999, to January 12, 2000. The season was headed by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also served as executive producers along with Anne Garefino. The season continued to focus on the exploits of protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny in the fictional Colorado mountain town of South Park.

<i>South Park</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 5, 2000. The fourth season concluded after airing 17 episodes on December 20, 2000.

<i>South Park</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on June 20, 2001. The season concluded after 14 episodes on December 12, 2001. The 14-episode season length would become a standard for later years of the series, starting from the eighth season up until the sixteenth season.

<i>South Park</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 6, 2002. The sixth season concluded after 17 episodes on December 11, 2002. The sixth season is the first and only season of South Park to not feature Kenny McCormick as a main character, as his sole appearance in the season is extremely brief in the final moments of the season finale.

<i>South Park</i> (season 8) Season of television series

The eighth season of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on March 17, 2004. The eighth season concluded after 14 episodes on December 15, 2004, and was written and directed by Trey Parker. The season deals with various topics that were relevant at the time of release. The episodes portray a spectrum of topics, from the effect of large scale retail corporations to illegal immigration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald and Sheila Broflovski</span> Fictional characters

Gerald "Jerry" and Sheila Broflovski are fictional characters in the animated television series South Park. The two are an upper middle-class married Jewish couple who raise their ten-year-old son Kyle and three-year-old Canadian-born adopted son Ike in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado.

"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the animated television series South Park and the 46th episode of the series overall. An album of the same name consisting of versions of songs from the show as well as a number of additional songs was released the week prior to the episode's original air date, December 1, 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 "South Park Full Episode Guides from Season 1 on COMEDY CENTRAL". TV Guide. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Leonard, Devin (October 27, 2005). "How Trey Parker and Matt Stone made South Park a success – October 30, 2005". CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2013.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Littlefield, Kinney (February 1, 1998). "South Park is a Far-out Place to Play". AAP Newsfeed. LexisNexis.(subscription required)
  4. "Sci Fi's Year-End Ratings Win! (via press release from Sci-Fi)". The Futon Critic. December 29, 2004.
  5. Comedy Central Ratings Report (August 18–24, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  6. Comedy Central Ratings Report (August 25–31, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  7. 1 2 3 "Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for 1998 – Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or Less)". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  8. Comedy Central Ratings Report (September 1–7, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  9. Comedy Central Ratings Report (September 8–14, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  10. Comedy Central Ratings Report (September 15–21, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  11. Comedy Central Ratings Report (October 27–November 2, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  12. "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows (p. 68)" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. November 10, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  13. Comedy Central Ratings Report (November 17–23, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  14. "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows (p. 48)" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. December 1, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  15. Comedy Central Ratings Report (December 15–21, 1997). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  16. Comedy Central Ratings Report (February 2–February 8, 1998). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  17. "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows (p. 37)". Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. February 16, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  18. Comedy Central Ratings Report (February 9–15, 1998). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  19. "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows (p. 58)". Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. February 23, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  20. Comedy Central Ratings Report (February 16–22, 1998). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  21. "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows (p. 38)". Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. March 2, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  22. Comedy Central Ratings Report (February 23–March 1, 1998). Nielsen Media Research (Report).
  23. "People's Choice: 25 Top Cable Shows (p. 63)". Broadcasting & Cable Magazine. March 9, 1998. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (2003). Commentary for "Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo". South Park: The Complete First Season (CD). Comedy Central.
  25. Littlefield, Kinney (January 28, 1998). "Comedy Central scores with poop and circumstance;Television: Trey Parker and Matt Stone subvert prime-time comedy with the animated satire South Park". The Orange County Register . Santa Ana, California. p. F04.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gournelos, Ted (2009). Popular Culture and the Future of Politics: Cultural Studies and the Tao of South Park. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 11–19. ISBN   978-0-7391-3721-5. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  27. "Fox Refused to Take 'South Park' in 1997 Because of One Character, and Something Else as well". Glamour Fame. September 18, 2019. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  28. Ashton, Will (September 17, 2019). "That Time Fox Refused To Pick Up South Park Because Of Mr. Hankey". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  29. Pride, Ray (July 14, 1998). "D'oh! Fox Turned Down "South Park"?". E! News . Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  30. 1 2 Vognar, Chris (February 1, 1998). "Brats entertainment; South Park creators potty hardy on Comedy Central show". The Dallas Morning News . Pasadena, California. p. 1C.
  31. 1 2 Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (2003). Commentary for "Weight Gain 4000". South Park: The Complete First Season (CD). Comedy Central.
  32. 1 2 Deggans, Eric (August 13, 1997). "A stroll in the park with a demented muse". St. Petersburg Times . p. 1.D.
  33. Wild, David (February 19, 1998). "South Park's Evil Geniuses and the Triumph of No-Brow Culture". Rolling Stone. No. 708. pp. 32–37, 61.
  34. Mink, Eric (October 29, 1998). "South Park comes up with a hallo-winner". Daily News . New York, New York. p. 89.
  35. "Tonight on TV". Newsday . New York, New York. October 29, 1997. p. B35.
  36. Parker, Trey (2003). Commentary for "Death". South Park: The Complete First Season (CD). Comedy Central.
  37. "FAQ Archives". SouthParkStudios.com. July 2002. Archived from the original on January 9, 2011. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
  38. "FAQ Archives". SouthParkStudios.com. November 2004. Retrieved May 8, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  39. Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (2003). Commentary for "Damien". South Park: The Complete First Season (CD). Comedy Central.
  40. Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt (2009). The South Park Episode Guide Seasons 1–5: The Official Companion to the Outrageous Plots, Shocking Language, Skewed Celebrities, and Awesome Animation, Volume 1. Seal Press. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-7624-3561-6. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Johnson-Woods, Toni (2007). Blame Canada!: South Park And Popular Culture. New York, New York: Continuum International Publishing Group. pp.  6–8. ISBN   978-0-8264-1730-5.
  42. "Comedy Central's "Mecha-Streisand" Episode of South Park Breaks Its Own Ratings Record by a Nose With a 6.9 HH Rating Beating ABC". New York, New York: Business Wire. February 20, 1998.
  43. 1 2 McCabe, Janet; Akass, Kim (2007). Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond . I. B. Tauris. p.  91. ISBN   978-1-84511-511-1.
  44. "FAQ Archives". SouthParkStudios.com. November 2001. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  45. Slotek, Jim (August 27, 1998). "The Numbers". The Toronto Sun . p. 63.
  46. Gillespie, Ian (January 10, 1999). "Listening to Silence". London Free Press . Ontario, Canada. p. D1.
  47. Silberman, Steve (October 16, 1997). "South Park Webcasters Told to Stop". Wired . Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  48. Fretts, Bruce (August 15, 1997). "TV Review South Park". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  49. Boedeker, Hal (August 13, 1997). "Comedy Central's 'South Park' Series Takes Adult-Aimed Humor A Bit Too Far". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  50. Booker, M. Keith (2005). Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from The Flintstones to Family Guy. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. p. 130. ISBN   0-275-99019-2.
  51. Simon, Jeff (August 3, 1997). "Who's really the butt of all cable jokes?". The Buffalo News . New York. p. 2Tv.
  52. Shales, Tom (August 14, 1997). "Cartoon South Park tries to go from crude to guilty pleasure". Seattle Post-Intelligencer . p. D8.
  53. McKay, John (August 8, 1998). "Creators defend South Park". London Free Press . Ontario, Canada. p. C5.
  54. Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2005). "Writer-producer Dan Sterling has inked a two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television". The Hollywood Reporter .
  55. "South Park maniacs tune in". The Collegio. Pittsburg, Kansas. March 11, 1998.
  56. Carson, Tom (March 15, 1998). "Culture Watch / South Park – gross anatomy of American childhood". Newsday . Long Island, New York. p. B06.
  57. "Suck it and see". The Sunday Mail . Queensland, Australia. September 27, 1998. p. 27.
  58. "TV on the Cover of Rolling Stone Pictures – The Cast of South Park". Rolling Stone. February 19, 1998. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  59. "Newsweek Magazine March 23, 1998 South Park * Linda Tripp". Amazon. March 23, 1998. ASIN   B000ON1R7I.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  60. Rich, Frank (March 11, 1998). "Journal; Comedy After Monica". New York Times . Archived from the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  61. Conrad, Jeremy (November 7, 2002). "South Park: The Complete First Season". IGN. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  62. Groening, Stephen (2008). "Chapter 6: Cynicism and Other Postideological Half Measures in South Park". In Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew (ed.). Taking South Park Seriously. Buffalo, New York: SUNY Press. p. 113. ISBN   978-0-7914-7565-2. Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  63. Forkan, Jim (September 29, 1997). "Comedy Central will fly solo in '98". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
  64. "Emmy winners in full". BBC News. September 14, 1998. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2005.
  65. Claustro, Lisa (July 25, 2007). "'South Park' Receives an Emmy Nomination". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  66. Henry, Matthew (2005). "Looking for Amanda Hugginkiss". In Alberti, John (ed.). Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press. pp.  239–241. ISBN   0-8143-2849-0.
  67. Minge, Jim (October 9, 1997). "Was Slow Service an Anomaly, or a Problem Unaddressed?". Omaha World Herald . p. 49.
  68. Harris, Dana (November 4, 1997). "EMA honors for Home, Travolta". The Hollywood Reporter .
  69. Martinez, Judy (September 30, 1997). "Environmental Media Award Nominations In; Home Improvement Singled Out". City News Service .
  70. Richmond, Ray (November 16, 1997). "CableACE Awards". Variety . Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  71. "Legacy: 26th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (1998)". International Animated Film Society. Archived from the original on February 23, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2009.
  72. Madigan, Nick (March 1, 1998). "PGA lauds Daly, Semel with its Golden Laurels". Variety. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  73. "'South Park' Wins NOVA Award" . Grand Forks Herald. North Dakota. March 5, 1998. p. 03 D. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  74. "South Park – The Complete First Season (1997)". Amazon. ASIN   B00006FDCR.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  75. Gibron, Bill (April 7, 2005). "DVD Verdict Review – South Park: The Complete First Season". DVDVerdict.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  76. 1 2 Hunt, Bill (November 19, 2002). "DVD Review – South Park: The Complete First Season". TheDigitalBits.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  77. 1 2 "South Park: Season 1 (1997)". Netflix . Retrieved May 3, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  78. 1 2 "South Park – Season 1 [DVD] [1997]: (Region 2)". Amazon. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  79. 1 2 "Season 1 (Region 4)". JBHiFiOnline.com.au. Archived from the original on June 14, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  80. "Comedy Central's South Park – Three Collectible Videos Available For The First Time With Made-For-Video Footage Featuring Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone". Burbank, California: Business Wire. March 26, 1998.
  81. "South Park, Volume 1 (1997)". Amazon. ASIN   6305176132.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  82. "South Park, Volume 2 (1997)". Amazon. ASIN   6305176140.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  83. "South Park, Volume 3 (1997)". Amazon. ASIN   6305176159.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  84. "South Park, Volume 4 (1997)". Amazon. ASIN   B00000JQ9T.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  85. "Season 1 (Region 1)". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2009. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
  86. Zoromski, Michelle (November 20, 2005). "Christmas Time in South Park". IGN. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
  87. Bair, Jeffrey (September 26, 2000). "South Park on the web". The Associated Press . Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  88. "SouthPark". Sightsound.com. September 25, 2000. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  89. "South Park Creators Trey Parker And Matt Stone And Comedy Central Launch The All-New Southparkstudios.com". Southparkstudios.com. March 25, 2008. Archived from the original (US only) on March 30, 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2008.
  90. Boshra, Basem (March 27, 2008). "South Park: Now streaming". Montreal Gazette . Archived from the original on July 8, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  91. "SouthParkStudios.co.uk Has Arrived". Southparkstudios.co.uk. September 26, 2009. Archived from the original on October 10, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2009.