‘South Park’: Every Episode Is Made ‘From Scratch’ Under a Week
For over 20 years, fans have tuned in to South Park for a few good laughs. Along with the laughter, the four silly voiced grade school boys brought fans also came with large amounts of controversy.
The animated TV show meant for an adult audience has continued to gain an expanding fan base year over year. The show’s ability to create episodes quickly allows them to keep their content relevant to recent events and their audience engaged.
The premise of ‘South Park’
South Park debuted in 1997 and quickly became a popular show that stirred up controversy. It was one of the first television shows to be labeled for mature viewers. Over the past two decades, almost everyone has encountered a South Park reference or become a loyal fan.
The iconic show features four main characters, Kenny McCormick, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman, who are always getting into frequent mischief in their fictitious Colorado community.
Creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, came up with the idea for the show after playing around with silly voices. The show is best known for the characters’ funny voices and political incorrectness. Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Eric have quoted celebrities and athletes or have been involved in a stunt based on a recent event that has placed the creators on the front lines of backlash.
The child characters’ use of strong profanity is what Parker and Stone perceive as the way small boys in real-life speak when adults are not around.
The ironic disclaimer that opens each episode, “All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated, poorly.
The following program contains coarse language, and due to its content, it should not be viewed by anyone.” gives viewers a taste of the sarcastic humor that the show portrays.
The creators enjoy creative freedom for each episode
As Comedy Central’s first TV show, South Park is now one of the longest-running scripted series in cable history. Parker and Stone are famous for breaking the standards of television, animation, and comedy with the creation of their fan-favorite offensive show.
Comedy Central has put trust in the pair and gave them the creative freedom needed to continue cranking out widely popular episodes.
The two see virtually no limits when it comes to poking fun at anything and easily get away with it without consequences. Many believe that the creative freedom given to Parker and Stone opened the door for edgier television material. However, in all the over 300 episodes only one episode of South Park was ever almost banned.
The animated show’s quick creation process
While many shows take months to create and prepare before the air date, that’s not the case with South Park. Since the show is inspired by significant events and airing up-to-date topical humor, the studio team makes each episode from start to finish in less than a week.
According to Screen Rant, the South Park Studios team usually works from Thursday to Wednesday of the following week to crank out an episode. The efficient process of creating each episode in such a short time is documented in 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park.
The only time the studio team missed a deadline was because of a power outage during the production of “Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers.” With all the jokes planted throughout South Park, the busy work week of the studio team is sure to never have a dull moment in the office.
