There was a time when cable TV was something I just didn’t want to pay for. I knew it was a vast wasteland with little to offer, and far too expensive. Pretty much anything new I wanted to watch I could see on regular broadcast channels. Occasionally I would hear about how I should be watching some show or another, and generally I’d just shrug and walk away. “South Park” was one such show. For the first year and a half of its existence my friends were constantly telling me about it, and when I would see all the t-shirts and hats for sale, I’d find myself wondering why it was so popular. Could some little animated show really be that funny? And just who were Kyle, Stan, Cartman and Kenny? Then one day, one of my friends handed me a video and told me I had to take the time to sit and watch it. On that video was one of the earlier versions of “South Park” that put the kids smack dab in the middle of a fight between Santa Claus and Jesus.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or sit in quiet shock. I opted for a lot of both. I’ll admit to having had a really twisted sense of humor pretty much all my life and I think I laughed harder at those few short minutes of animation than I had at anything in years. I had to have more.

I started scouring the Internet to see what I could find out about the series and its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. At that time, the series was just finishing up its second season and its popularity warranted hundreds of websites. I got hold of the friend who turned me on to that first video and asked if he had taped any more. He had, I watched, and I was hooked.

“South Park” was, and still is, offensive, puerile, disgusting, repulsive, immature, depraved, revolting, gross and shocking. Oh, and I almost forgot… hysterically funny. It was for people like me who can’t stand ‘political correctness.’ From the very beginning, there seemed to be nothing sacred, nothing that was above being mocked. Whether it poked fun at Barbra Streisand’s ego by turning her into a giant Mecha-Streisand, burying Robert Redford in a pile of poo, or having ‘cripple fights’, I really don’t think these guys ever cared who they ticked off. I’m still reeling from an infamous episode that poked fun at the late Christopher Reeve and stem cell research, which I will touch on later.

As I learned more about Parker and Stone, who give the impression of being a couple of hacks who got lucky, I found that they were actually enormously talented. This first became evident with the release of “South Park: The Movie.” I still remember going to see the movie opening day, and not only did I laugh all the way through, I was amazed when found out it was a musical. I was even more amazed that the songs, though irreverent, were actually extremely well written and produced. They were so good in fact, that much to the chagrin of the Academy audience, one of the songs was nominated for an Oscar. Take that, Hollywood!

The first and second seasons of “South Park” firmly set the standard for what is now still going strong in its 13th season. I used to think that with early episodes like “Chickenlover”, “Conjoined Fetus Lady”, and “Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods,” Parker and Stone proved to audiences that there was absolutely no rock bottom to the level of bad taste. But as the show as progressed (or digressed, depending on your point of view) every year brought new episodes that plumbed even further into depths of depravity that even I never thought possible. Yet I continue to laugh.
But there are people out there who absolutely hate “South Park” and everything it stands for. Most are Moral Majority leaders who just don’t ‘get it.’ What they don’t see is the other side of the coin. A lot of those earlier episodes taught important lessons as much as they shocked us. Take “Chickenlover” for example. Sure it’s about a guy who… uhhh… ‘loves’ chickens. But while the episode has the gang investigating the identity of the perpetrator, we are also taught a lesson about the virtues and fun of reading. This particular episode even addresses the illiteracy in our country and how those who can’t read can be helped. I think that’s a very positive message. (ahem…)

And for those who felt that “South Park” has no culture, there was an episode in the fourth season that was a retelling of the Charles Dickens novel “Great Expectations.” This particular episode should be considered a classic and would be well at home amongst the great programming on PBS… well, except for the part about killing bunnies and the Genesis device.

Then I’ve also heard that there are naysayers of the series who cry out that Parker and Stone have no heart when it comes to the handicapped, yet they found it within themselves to create a character who has actually become one of the series’ most popular. In an obvious attempt to anger the handicapped community, the wheel-chair bound, ADD suffering Timmy came rolling into our hearts. The only word he ever utters is ‘Timmy!’, but it is surprisingly easy to understand what he means by catching the simple inflections he uses when saying it. I can’t begin to imagine the hate letters Comedy Central got when Timmy came on the scene.

By the way, I think I should mention that "South Park" is an equal opportunity offender. They pick on everyone and everything. Which is why I thought it was very hypocritical of the late Isaac Hayes (who was the voice of 'Chef' for the last 10 seasons) to quit the show a couple of seasons back over the choice to have the episode making fun of Scientology. (If there ever was a religion in need of parody, it is Scientology.) It seemed that Hayes was a Scientologist and could not condone the show's views on religion. It took him 10 seasons to realize this??

The twelfth season of “South Park” comes to DVD this month thanks once again to the folks over at Paramount Home Entertainment. The 14 episodes are spread out across 3 discs, with 5 mini-commentaries by Parker and Stone. This season they tackle such important subjects as AIDS, dependency on the Internet, and the wacky Presidential campaign. And much to the chagrin of fanboys and fangirls everywhere… they dare to trample High School Musical and Twilight. (Shame on them…)
The release of the twelfth season marks a couple of milestones, one being that it is the first season to be released in Blu-Ray format (which I did not ask for…. Stupid… stupid… stupid…), the other in that the creators opted to add some special features beyond the little 5 minute commentaries they usually offer. This time around, there is a feature length look at putting an episode together. I was expecting a real behind the scenes look at the crew as they work on the episode, but instead it was a look at the episode in various stages of production with commentary over. Interesting, but not overly entertaining.
There is a shorter behind the scenes featurette that actually has interviews as they relate to creating the episode “Major Boobage” as well as another that focuses on the last 24 hours before the airing of “About Last Night…” (the episode that parodies the already comic Election Night).
Anyhow, “South Park” is a show that honestly isn’t for everyone. You really, really need to have a liking for twisted humor and one solid cast-iron shield against being offended. In all the years the series has been on, I have yet to be offended by anything. Shocked yes… offended… no.
Episodes:
Britney’s New Look
Tonsil Trouble
Major Boobage
Canada Goes On Strike
Eek, a Penis
Over Logging
Super Fun Time
The China Probrem
The Breast Cancer Show Ever
Pandemic
Pandemic 2 – The Startling
About Last Night
Elementary School Music
The Ungroundable

Extras: Mini-Commentaries by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Six Days to South Park, A Day By Day: Making of South Park, Making Boobage: Behind The Scenes Of "Major Boobage", Behind The Scenes: "About Last Night"
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 3/10/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR

We'll give South Park: Season 12 an A.