A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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Positive Messages
very little
The show uses parody and gross-out humor to address issues including war, politics, sexism, and classism.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Fourth graders swear, are egotistical, and make iffy choices; adults are equally flawed. In earlier seasons, Chef was an imperfect mentor; upon the actor's (Isaac Hayes) departure, the main group of friends on the show is surrounded by ineffectual adults and largely on its own for moral guidance.
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Diverse Representations
very little
An equal opportunity offender, the show depicts -- and skewers -- characters of every possible race, cultural background, and sexual orientation, as well as characters with disabilities. Characters are frequently stereotyped, but sometimes in subversive and pointed ways: a Black character is named "Token." A disabled character named Timmy is a minor character and part of the accepted member of a group of young friends in later seasons (instead of being a one-joke character in earlier seasons), but he also says things like "tard."
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Violence & Scariness
some
Over-the-top animated violence is gross for comedy's sake rather than scary or gory. Characters die from gunshots and torture, cartoon blood is shown. The same character dies in almost every one of the early episodes, often brutally. Later episodes drop that joke but still mock death and violence in absurd ways. References to pedophilia.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Frequent sexual innuendo/references; endless jokes about "hermaphrodites," hom*osexuality, and promiscuity. Lots of bare butts. Breasts are shown occasionally.
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Language
a lot
Every possible curse word is used, often by young characters: "hell," "damn," "crap," "s--t," and "f--k," as well as "c--t." Frequent use of racist, hom*ophobic, and religion-based slurs. Curse words are bleeped when the show airs in syndication.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Episodes parody products such as iPads and other brands, including Chipotle and Starbucks. Real celebs such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Elon Musk are mocked or appear on the show as characters.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
Drug and alcohol use are sometimes portrayed in a negative light. Characters often reference marijuana.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that South Park is a satirical animated series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone that isn't meant for young kids. It's jam packed with mature themes, swearing (including "f--k," "s--t," and more), over-the-top cartoon violence, potty humor, and innuendo. People of every race, class, gender, religion, profession, and credo are parodied, and racial and religious slurs, stereotypes, and other inappropriate content are frequently used to offer social commentary. In earlier seasons, one of the main characters, Kenny (voiced by Matt Stone), dies in almost every episode. Later seasons drop that gag but continue to poke at things many people take seriously and mock real people and events, including the United States' divisive 2016 election. Some later seasons of the show are loosely focused around specific issues, i.e. political correctness and online trolling. Note: Episodes have been edited for content when broadcast on some platforms; this review is of the unedited version of the show.
What's the Story?
Brought to you by gross-out masterminds Matt Stone and Trey Parker, SOUTH PARK is an animated show centered on the often-bizarre exploits of four foul-mouthed Colorado elementary schoolers. Cartman (voiced by Parker) is obnoxious, racist, antisemitic, spoiled, and selfish; Stan (also Parker) is earnest and afraid of girls; Kyle (Stone) is Jewish and confused about his identity, which isn't helped by Cartman's constant insults; and Kenny (also Stone) is mysteriously killed off in many episodes (though he stays alive in later seasons). Chaos (and inanity) prevails in the boys' small mountain town as it's constantly overcome by strange events involving celebrities, the supernatural, and the just plain weird. Cows are abducted by aliens, snowmen go on killing sprees, a piece of excrement teaches kids about the spirit of Christmas, and Kyle unleashes a wave of online trolling to prevent a government program to transport citizens to Mars.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the satire that underlines South Park's crass jokes. What points are the creators trying to make? Does the show's over-the-top content detract from those points or help make them?
This show is considered controversial by many people/groups. Do you agree? Is anything fair game when it comes to satire, or are there subjects that shouldn't be joked about?
Compare an episode from South Park's later seasons to an episode from season 1 or 2. How are they different? Are there different characters? Storylines? Which episode is funnier?
