On August 13, 1997, Comedy Central debuted Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s animated show South Park, about four foul-mouthed kids in the mountain town of South Park, Colorado. The IMDb description specifically mentions that Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny are “dirty-minded” and “irreverent” and that the town itself is both quiet and dysfunctional. Check out a clip from the early days here.

Starting off as a short titled The Spirit of Christmas, the 22-minute show quickly found its footing, not only making jokes about kicking babies (sorry, Ike), but also delivering sharp satire about a world that has changed rapidly (and ludicrously) in the last 29 years. Some topics skewered include the 2008 financial crash, GLP-1s, offensive language, and racial dynamics. And according to Fandom, Kenny has also been killed 128 times: 98 times in the series, 12 in the shorts, 14 in the video games, twice in the movie, and twice in the specials.

In a case of “art imitating life and then imitating the art,” Season 7 featured an episode centered on legendary Denver-area restaurant Casa Bonita, which Parker and Stone went on to buy in real life in 2021.

South Park was nominated for the Critics Choice Award for Best Animated Series in 2019, and won in the category in 2026. The show has also been recognized by our peer organizations across the industry, with five Primetime Emmy wins, an Annie Award, and over 100 other nominations. 

Season 29 begins airing on Wednesday, September 16 on Comedy Central and will also stream on Paramount+.