Does anyone else feel like South Park was better when it was less topical?

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Croatoan said:
They thought making fun of republicans, catholics, rednecks and other right wing stuff was funny in the past seasons. Why can't making fun of left wing stuff be funny?

That is a pretty transparent argument. The reason why they think those things is because they are the ones being made fun of now. Shoe is on the other foot and all that jazz.
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What If they didn't find stuff like funny either? I know people in this very thread who are being passive aggressively referred to as whiny liberals that weren't fans of earlier seasons either, or the show in general. And yet you're assuming why they take issue with the show instead of listening to what they have to say.

You're just shutting down criticism because it's a show you like.
 
The stuff about the national anthem and member berries were what I liked most about the premiere. I'm more annoyed by this continuity approach they've taken since last season .
 
Kinyou said:
The stuff about the national anthem and member berries were what I liked most about the premiere. I'm more annoyed by this continuity approach they've taken since last season .
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Yeah

Not sure they have the writing chops to be able to continue making long continuity seasons. Would rather the random one offs.
 
deli2000 said:
What If they didn't find stuff like funny either? I know people in this very thread who are being passive aggressively referred to as whiny liberals that weren't fans of earlier seasons either, or the show in general. And yet you're assuming why they take issue with the show instead of listening to what they have to say.

You're just shutting down criticism because it's a show you like.
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Then they are just not fans of the show, which is completely different. My comment was for the people eating the member berries extolling the glories of past seasons.
 
I never understood stood why American animators are so afraid to age their characters.

At this point we basically have college students trapped in 4th or 5th grader bodies. If you go back and watch earlier seasons, you'll see that they're almost completely different characters.

I think if animators allowed their characters to age, then the audience would be able to understand why and how the characters are handling more mature topics.
 
WarLox said:
I never understood stood why American animators are so afraid to age their characters.

At this point we basically have college students trapped in 4th or 5th grader bodies. If you go back and watch earlier seasons, you'll see that they're almost completely different characters.

I think if animators allowed their characters to age, then the audience would be able to understand why and how the characters are handling more mature topics.
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They did age from 3rd to 4th grade at the 4th season!

Though part of South Park's shtick has always been that these are kids doing/saying fucked up things, and interpreting adult concepts in completely incorrect ways.
 
I'm going to say a broad NO to this. The old ones were pretty shit, and it only got good when it was topical. That said, there have been too many shoehorned, try-too-hard episodes of late.

South Park is always best when the topic is slightly left of centre, such as the Persian invasion, or the "saving" of the Orca. Things like the three episode arc covering console wars a la Game of Thrones was just awful TV.
 
I disagree a lot. I think the way they take the topical news, insert it so quickly and cleverly into recent episodes, and weave a story around it is one of the things that makes the show so great.
 
The difference isn't between political vs non-political episodes. The difference is between when they phone it in and when they don't phone it in.
 
The older seasons are classics but I think the show went in the best direction it could have.

It's pretty unlikely they could continue, after 20 years of the show, to come up with original content, ideas and characters that were more "timeless"

Season 19 was hilarious and, while I know people are turned off by the PC Culture attacks, its really the only place that south park can go at this point to continue to "push buttons" like the show is famous for. Making fun of religious zealots or whatever for yet another season would just be treading water.
 
Seasons 1-8 were probably my favorite. I continued watching regularly until season 15 or so, but eventually the show lost its allure for me a bit. A big part of that was the topical humor, but it's also the fact that the character's are too blatantly mature compared to the past. I liked it better when they were kids with the occasional moment of wisdom.
 
Calamari41 said:
The difference isn't between political vs non-political episodes. The difference is between when they phone it in and when they don't phone it in.
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I don't think they ever phone it in, and I'm not sure where you're getting that from. What episodes have they phoned it in on? Those shows take a ton of hard work and long hours to make.

stuminus3 said:
Nobody remembers how early South Park shaped internet memes as we know them, and that makes me a sad panda.
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You're right. South Park even coined the term "derp" as far as I know.
 
Every time I watch one of the new South Park episodes I immediately think of NeoGAF and the incessant back and forth that goes on. Seeing threads like this is like having extra fudge on my already delicious chocolate ice cream.
 
I'm of literally the opposite sensibility. I didn't start truly enjoying the series until it became topical.
 
Pendas said:
Every time I watch one of the new South Park episodes I immediately think of NeoGAF and the incessant back and forth that goes on. Seeing threads like this is like having extra fudge on my already delicious chocolate ice cream.
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What's so awful about this thread?
 
xandaca said:
Nah, season 19 was the best thing on TV last season and the opener of this season was pretty strong too. People's problem is that GAF is a very left-leaning board. The left isn't used to being made fun of and predictably labels everything that includes them in their satire as lazy/nihilistic/racist/alt-right, etc. Last season pulled off a fantastic philosophical dissection of PC culture as analogous to advertising/gentrification, and this season's 'Memberberries hint at doing the same for nostalgia. But of course, in their mockery of Trumpism they also pointed out that a lot of people dislike Hillary Clinton, whom most people here are desperately trying to convince themselves is a great and wonderous candidate and everyone who won't vote for her is racist/alt-right/[insert buzzword here], so you get the usual regurgitations of 'they say every side is equally bad, how lazy' when recent SP has, in fact, been better than anyone at satirising issues in their full complexity and expressing very clear intellectual points of view, albeit supporting neither the left or right and thus pissing off both (but especially the thin-skinned left on boards like this), who see anything not offering them complete validation and support as being inherently stupid or evil.
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This is a great post.
 
Sane_Man said:
You'd maybe have a point if South Park was trying to ignite some grand social change. It's literally just taking the piss out of two extreme sides of the political spectrum. Both sides create inspiration to make really funny material. Why would they not tap into that?
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lol wut? Criticism only applies if someone is trying to drastically change society? That makes no sense.

In fact, my point is that Stone & Parker are doing the exact opposite. They don't want anything to change. The gist of all their comedy is basically "Everyone is getting worked up over nothing, everything is fine and both sides have flaws, therefore just go on with your lives as is."

Quick edit: I want to point out, for the record, that this doesn't entail that I find SP (or Stone & Parker in general)'s comedy unfunny. Quite the opposite, I think S&P's legacy is firmly secured with the body of work they've put in and history will look very kindly upon them. But just as the Simpsons and Family Guy, go on long enough and eventually you're going to find yourself open and SP is no exception.
 
I still like what they do, but yeah, it was definitely better when it was less topical. Or at least whatever was currently happening in the world wasn't a major focus of the episode.
 
Silexx said:
lol wut? Criticism only applies if someone is trying to drastically change society? That makes no sense.

In fact, my point is that Stone & Parker are doing the exact opposite. They don't want anything to change. The gist of all their comedy is basically "Everyone is getting worked up over nothing, everything is fine and both sides have flaws, therefore just go on with your lives as is."
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They have never advocated for the status quo. There are more than 2 sides, there are thousands, and South Park makes satire of only a handful of the most idiotic ones.
 
DarkKyo said:
I don't think they ever phone it in, and I'm not sure where you're getting that from. What episodes have they phoned it in on? Those shows take a ton of hard work and long hours to make.
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There are a lot of episodes here and there, but looking through the seasons I would say large swaths of Seasons 15, 16 and 17 have quite a quality gap between their best and worst episodes. "Phoning it in" is probably too harsh, but there are quite a few episodes where they spend the whole time running one decent joke into the ground. Go through the episode lists and even within the same seasons you can see the difference in quality between individual episodes. There are amazing political ones and boring unfunny political ones, amazing non-political ones and boring unfunny non-political ones.

I agree that they work hard putting them together, I was more referring to the writing being more phoned in for some than others. The production quality is always top notch.
 
I think the last season and so fat this season are the best it has ever been.

Working current issues into a continuous storyline is a marvelous feat.
 
There are people in this thread claiming to see a lot of "salt" that just isn't here. I don't see anybody passionately railing against SP.
 
Calamari41 said:
"Phoning it in" is probably too harsh, but there are quite a few episodes where they spend the whole time running one decent joke into the ground. h.
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Remember the black friday trilogy when they didn't stop making the ,,grandpa yells at Cartman"-joke over and over (and over and over), while it wasn't even funny the first time? That was probably the epitome of that specific modern SP symptome.
 
Nah I like that it's topical. Keeps the show fresh, and with reality being stranger than fiction, they'll never hurt for new material.
 
The reaction is priceless. Something the show hasn't achieved before so I have to give it credit there no matter what I think about the newest episodes.
 
deli2000 said:
Who's squirming? I'm just confused now. Do you guys want to see SJW's get their comeuppance so badly that you're just attacking posters like me for no reason?
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Uhh, nobody is attacking you? Deriving enjoyment from people getting upset over a cartoon isn't attacking either...

If you want to be less confused then read this great post from the first page of this very thread (and quoted a few posts up.

xandaca said:
Nah, season 19 was the best thing on TV last season and the opener of this season was pretty strong too. People's problem is that GAF is a very left-leaning board. The left isn't used to being made fun of and predictably labels everything that includes them in their satire as lazy/nihilistic/racist/alt-right, etc. Last season pulled off a fantastic philosophical dissection of PC culture as analogous to advertising/gentrification, and this season's 'Memberberries hint at doing the same for nostalgia. But of course, in their mockery of Trumpism they also pointed out that a lot of people dislike Hillary Clinton, whom most people here are desperately trying to convince themselves is a great and wonderous candidate and everyone who won't vote for her is racist/alt-right/[insert buzzword here], so you get the usual regurgitations of 'they say every side is equally bad, how lazy' when recent SP has, in fact, been better than anyone at satirising issues in their full complexity and expressing very clear intellectual points of view, albeit supporting neither the left or right and thus pissing off both (but especially the thin-skinned left on boards like this), who see anything not offering them complete validation and support as being inherently stupid or evil.
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deli2000 said:
It's easier to attack exaggerated arguments which don't exist.
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You can't just look at this thread. The salt really starting flowing last year and has culminated in threads where South Park is deemed Alt-Right.
 
Love both kinds of episodes though, whether it is making fun of liberals or rednecks or some random ass episode featuring a talking towel.
 
Croatoan said:
Uhh, nobody is attacking you? Deriving enjoyment from people getting upset over a cartoon isn't attacking either...

If you want to be less confused then read this great post from the first page of this very thread (and quoted a few posts up.




You can't just look at this thread. The salt really starting flowing last year and has culminated in threads where South Park is deemed Alt-Right.
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I'm sorry, but how is calling people who didn't like the last season 'thin-skinned' not attacking their character?
 
Silexx said:
lol wut? Criticism only applies if someone is trying to drastically change society? That makes no sense.

In fact, my point is that Stone & Parker are doing the exact opposite. They don't want anything to change. The gist of all their comedy is basically "Everyone is getting worked up over nothing, everything is fine and both sides have flaws, therefore just go on with your lives as is."

Quick edit: I want to point out, for the record, that this doesn't entail that I find SP (or Stone & Parker in general)'s comedy unfunny. Quite the opposite, I think S&P's legacy is firmly secured with the body of work they've put in and history will look very kindly upon them. But just as the Simpsons and Family Guy, go on long enough and eventually you're going to find yourself open and SP is no exception.
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You're not following what I'm saying at all. My point is that South Park is not trying to do what you think it is. It's not trying to advocate for the status quo, or for left or right leaning ideals either. It's making fun of society and all of the political spectrum. What it's doing is done for laughs, not to try and change the hearts and minds of people.
 
His Majesty said:
Love both kinds of episodes though, whether it is making fun of liberals or rednecks or some random ass episode featuring a talking towel.
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Yeah, I think either type of episode can work just fine. It's more that some episodes just aren't that funny and do feel somewhat rushed or phoned in.
Sane_Man said:
You're not following what I'm saying at all. My point is that South Park is not trying to do what you think it is. It's not trying to advocate for the status quo, or for left or right leaning ideals either. It's making fun of society and all of the political spectrum. What it's doing is done for laughs, not to try and change the hearts and minds of people.
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Nah, there were definitely episodes like that.
 
People kinda have a tendency to overstate how clever the show is.

*shrug* I really liked last season, but I also don't think it provided any particularly insightful commentary on the issues it was skewering. People get a little carried away throwing praise on the show.

It did do a sly job of acknowledging some of their past missteps without backing away from them (They used their most embarrassing character in a pretty fun way that acknowledged it but also embraced it ) entirely. I was surprised that there wasn't a full reset at the end of the season. The show seemed to learn and grow.

At the same time, I am a person who thinks advocating for people with less of a voice in media is important. and yet, I can appreciate that media that always makes you feel good and that you 100% agree with is not art - It's marketing. I get that. I do.

And I get how we are more able to curate our lives and put our POV on a pedestal and how that plays into a culture that is in risk of letting confirmation bias destroy free thought.

However, saying something is a basic function of art. Almost every show has broader themes and shit. It's just something that maybe people who watch fart cartoons don't always pick up on?
 
The Wii being in Go God Go was literally because Trey Parker was feeling like Cartman in the episode. He was waiting desperately to play Twilight Princess lol. Kind of how I feel right now about NX and Breath of The Wild.
 
Sane_Man said:
You're not following what I'm saying at all. My point is that South Park is not trying to do what you think it is. It's not trying to advocate for the status quo, or for left or right leaning ideals either. It's making fun of society and all of the political spectrum. What it's doing is done for laughs, not to try and change the hearts and minds of people.
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No, I'm sorry but I just don't buy this. Plenty of SP episodes have a blatant preachy as fuck message they're trying to push. Especially later seasons.
 
ArjanN said:
Nah, there were definitely episodes like that.
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They don't do that any more than they did before, even if the show itself is using political comedy more right now. And it is a byproduct of the comedy, not the other way around. Kyle's speeches are a way to highlight the extremes of both sides, because both extremes lend themselves to funny comedy.
 
Sane_Man said:
You're not following what I'm saying at all. My point is that South Park is not trying to do what you think it is. It's not trying to advocate for the status quo, or for left or right leaning ideals either. It's making fun of society and all of the political spectrum. What it's doing is done for laughs, not to try and change the hearts and minds of people.
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And my point is that in making of fun all shades of the political spectrum, they're essentially putting down anyone who makes a stand which, in turn, inadvertently becomes advocacy for the status quo.
 
Yeah. The constant social commentary has turned South Park to shit, almost like they are devoid of ideas...

Imo it hasn't been the same since cartmans voice changed.
 
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