History of South Park in Timeline

South Park is an animated sitcom centered on four boys—Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny—living in a Colorado town. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the series is known for its profanity, dark humor, and surreal storylines. South Park satirizes a wide range of subjects, making it a controversial yet highly popular show.

1981: Homage to Heavy Metal

In the season 12 episode Major Boobage, a homage to the 1981 animated film Heavy Metal, implements scenes accomplished with rotoscoping.

1992: Development of The Spirit of Christmas

In 1992, Parker and Stone developed the first animated short film titled The Spirit of Christmas, which served as the foundation for South Park.

1992: Parker and Stone Meet and Discover Monty Python

In 1992, Parker and Stone met in film class at the University of Colorado and discovered a shared love of Monty Python, which became one of their primary inspirations. They also created an animated short entitled The Spirit of Christmas.

1995: Creation of Jesus vs. Santa

In 1995, Parker and Stone created the second animated short film, The Spirit of Christmas, often referred to as Jesus vs. Santa, commissioned by Brian Graden as a video Christmas card. This short closely resembled the style of the later South Park series and became one of the first viral videos.

1995: Release of The Spirit of Christmas

In 1995, Parker and Stone released the second animated short film titled The Spirit of Christmas, which became an early viral Internet video and led to the production of the South Park series.

August 13, 1997: South Park Debut

On August 13, 1997, South Park debuted on Comedy Central and immediately became a ratings success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program.

1997: South Park Debut

From its debut in 1997, South Park was originally produced in standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

1997: George Clooney as Sparky

In 1997, for the season one episode Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride, George Clooney provided the barks for Stan's dog Sparky.

1997: CableACE Award for Best Animated Series

South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, which was the last year the awards were presented.

1997: Growth of Comedy Central

The success of South Park prompted more cable companies to carry Comedy Central, leading it to become one of the fastest-growing cable channels in 1997.

April 22, 1998: "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut" Airs

On April 22, 1998, the second episode of season two, "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", aired and earned an 8.2 rating (6.2 million viewers), setting a record as the highest-rated non-sports show in basic cable history at the time.

June 1998: Increase in Comedy Central Households

By June 1998, the number of households that had Comedy Central jumped from 9.1 million in 1997 to 50 million.

1998: Henry Winkler Voices Kid-Eating Monster

In 1998, Henry Winkler voiced the various growls and grunts of a kid-eating monster in the South Park season two episode City on the Edge of Forever.

1998: Chef Aid Episode

In 1998, Rick James, Elton John, Meat Loaf, Joe Strummer, Ozzy Osbourne, Primus, Rancid, and Ween all guest starred and briefly performed in the season two episode Chef Aid.

1998: April Fools' Day Prank

In 1998, South Park played an April Fools' Day prank on its viewers, sparking controversy.

1998: Annie and GLAAD Award Nominations

In 1998, South Park was nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program and the GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV – Individual Episode for "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".

1998: Emmy Nomination

In 1998, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

1998: Viewership Peaked

The South Park's viewership peaked in 1998, after the show instantly generated buzz among television viewers, and mass viewing parties began assembling on college campuses.

June 1999: Release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

In June 1999, the theatrical film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released to commercial and critical success, even garnering an Academy Award nomination.

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November 1999: Death of Mary Kay Bergman

In November 1999, Mary Kay Bergman, who voiced the majority of the female characters in South Park, passed away. Mona Marshall and Eliza Schneider succeeded her.

1999: Ratings Began To Decrease

By the third season in 1999, South Park's series ratings began to decrease.

1999: Korn Debuts Falling Away from Me

In 1999, Korn debuted their single Falling Away from Me as guest stars on the season three episode Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery.

1999: Controversy and Game Cancellation

In 1999, schools barred students from wearing South Park T-shirts, a UK headmaster discouraged children from watching the show after Cartman was voted a favorite character, and Parker and Stone cancelled the Game Boy Color game release due to its adult content being inappropriate for children.

2000: Emmy Nomination

In 2000, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

2000: Cheech & Chong Voice Characters

In 2000, comedy team Cheech & Chong voiced characters representing their likenesses for the South Park season four episode Cherokee Hair Tampons, marking their first collaborative effort in 20 years.

2000: Ratings Dropped Further

In 2000, during South Park's fourth season, episodes averaged just above 1.5 million viewers, though the season premiere garnered 22.1 million viewers.

2000: Quintuplets 2000 Episode Airs

In 2000, the South Park episode Quintuplets 2000 referenced the United States Border Patrol's raid of a house during the Elián González affair, an event which occurred only four days before the episode originally aired.

2000: Parker Assumes Directorial Duties

Starting in 2000, for South Park's fourth season, Parker assumed most of the show's directorial duties, while Stone focused on handling coordination and business aspects of the production.

2001: Berry Leaves Show

In 2001, Adam Berry, the show's original score composer, left the show. Jamie Dunlap and Scott Nickoley of Mad City Production Studios took over providing the show's original music.

2002: Catchphrases in Oxford Dictionary

In 2002, Cartman's "Hey!" was included in The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases.

2002: Emmy Nomination

In 2002, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

2002: Cartman Ranked Among Greatest Cartoon Characters

In 2002, the character of Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters".

2002: DVD Release of Complete Seasons

Since 2002, complete seasons of South Park have been regularly released in their entirety on DVD.

2003: Acquisition of Syndication Rights

In 2003, Debmar-Mercury acquired broadcast syndication rights to South Park.

2003: Eliza Schneider Leaves South Park

In 2003, Eliza Schneider left South Park after its seventh season. April Stewart replaced her and, along with Mona Marshall, continues to voice most of the female characters.

2003: Norman Lear as Guest Writing Consultant

In 2003, during South Park's seventh season, television producer and writer Norman Lear served as a guest writing consultant for the episodes Cancelled and I'm a Little Bit Country.

2003: It's Christmas in Canada Episode Airs

In 2003, the South Park season seven finale It's Christmas in Canada referenced the discovery of dictator Saddam Hussein in a spider hole and his subsequent capture, which happened a mere three days prior to the episode airing.

2004: Ranked Third-Greatest Cartoon

In 2004, Channel 4 voted South Park the third-greatest cartoon of all time.

2004: Emmy Nomination

In 2004, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

2004: Acquisition of Syndication Rights

In 2004, Tribune Entertainment acquired broadcast syndication rights to South Park.

2004: Good Times with Weapons Anime Style

In 2004, portions of the South Park season eight premiere, Good Times with Weapons, were done in anime style.

September 19, 2005: Syndicated Episodes Aired

On September 19, 2005, episodes of South Park further edited for content began airing in syndication in the United States, carrying a TV-14 rating.

2005: Cartman Ranked Among TV's Scariest Characters

In 2005, Cartman ranked second on MSNBC's list of TV's scariest characters behind Mr. Burns from The Simpsons.

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2005: Emmy win for "Best Friends Forever"

In 2005, South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) for the episode "Best Friends Forever".

2005: "Trapped in the Closet" Episode Controversy

In 2005, the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet" criticized Scientology, leading to controversy involving Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes' departure.

2005: Best Friends Forever Episode Airs

In 2005, the South Park episode Best Friends Forever referenced the Terri Schiavo case, and originally aired in the midst of the controversy and less than 12 hours before her death.

2005: Depiction of the Virgin Mary

In 2005, the season nine finale episode "Bloody Mary" was released and angered several Catholics due to its depiction of the Virgin Mary.

2006: Peabody Award Received

In 2006, Comedy Central received a Peabody Award for South Park's "stringent social commentary".

2006: Parker and Stone on Politics

In 2006, Parker and Stone stated they were "rooting for Hillary Clinton in 2008 simply because it would be weird to have her as president".

2006: Emmy win for "Make Love, Not Warcraft"

In 2006, South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) for the episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft".

2006: Theme Song Remixed

In 2006, the South Park theme music was remixed with the song Whamola by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, from the album Purple Onion.

2006: Depiction of Steve Irwin

In 2006, the episode "Hell on Earth 2006" depicted Steve Irwin with a stingray barb in his chest, shortly after his death in a similar manner, causing controversy.

2006: Hayes Leaves South Park

In early 2006, Isaac Hayes left South Park, and the character of Chef was killed off in the season 10 premiere, The Return of Chef.

2007: Time Magazine Recognition

In 2007, Time magazine included South Park on its list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time", calling it "America's best source of rapid-fire satire for [the past] decade".

March 2008: Free Streaming on South Park Studios Website

In March 2008, Comedy Central made every episode of South Park available for free full-length on-demand legal streaming on the official South Park Studios website.

October 2008: Website Streams Reach 55 Million

By October 2008, the South Park Studios website had served more than 55 million streams of full episodes.

2008: Dunlap Sole Composer

In 2008, Jamie Dunlap has been credited as the show's sole score composer.

2008: Parker and Stone on Politics

In 2008, Parker and Stone stated they were "rooting for Hillary Clinton in 2008 simply because it would be weird to have her as president".

2008: Ranked Twelfth-Greatest TV Show

In 2008, South Park was named the 12th-greatest TV show of the past 25 years by Entertainment Weekly, and AOL declared it as having the "most astute" characters of any show in history.

2008: Emmy win for "Imaginationland" trilogy

In 2008, the "Imaginationland" trilogy of episodes won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More).

2008: Imaginationland Re-issue & Blu-ray Release

In 2008, the Imaginationland story arc was reissued straight-to-DVD as a full-length feature, and Blu-ray releases started with season twelve.

2008: About Last Night... Episode Airs

In 2008, the South Park episode About Last Night... revolved around Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election, and aired less than 24 hours after Obama was declared the winner, using segments of dialogue from Obama's real victory speech.

2008: End of Standard Definition Production

In 2008, the season twelve finale marked the end of South Park being produced in standard definition, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

2008: 20th Television Replaces Tribune

In early 2008, 20th Television replaced Tribune Entertainment as a co-distributor of South Park.

September 2009: South Park Studios Website Launches in UK and Ireland

In September 2009, a South Park Studios website with streaming episodes was launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

2009: South Park Airs on SBS Viceland

Before 2009, South Park was broadcast on SBS Viceland (formerly SBS) in Australia, with new episodes airing on SBS.

2009: Switch to High Definition Production

In 2009, South Park switched to being produced in 16:9 high definition 1080p with the beginning of the thirteenth season.

2009: Emmy win for "Margaritaville"

In 2009, South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) for the episode "Margaritaville".

April 2010: Episodes Removed from Streaming

In April 2010, the season five episode "Super Best Friends" and the season fourteen episodes "200" and "201" were removed from the South Park Studios website; these episodes also no longer air in reruns.

2010: Highest-Rated Season Premiere Since 1998

The season 14 (2010) premiere of South Park gained 3.7 million viewers, marking the show's highest-rated season premiere since 1998.

2011: Emmy Nomination

In 2011, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

2011: Voted Number One Animated TV Series

In 2011, South Park was voted number one in the 25 Greatest Animated TV Series poll by Entertainment Weekly.

2011: "Super Best Friends" Episode Not Released on iTunes

In 2011, the fifth-season episode "Super Best Friends", was not released alongside the rest of the season when it was released in HD on iTunes following the controversy surrounding episode "201".

2012: Studio Upgrades Render Farm

As of 2012, the South Park studio ran a 120-processor render farm that could produce 30 or more shots an hour, enhancing the animation production process.

2012: Emmy win for "Raising the Bar"

In 2012, South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode "Raising the Bar".

October 16, 2013: Production Deadline Missed

On October 16, 2013, South Park failed to meet their production deadline for the first time ever due to a power outage at the production studio. This prevented the episode, Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers, from being finished in time.

October 23, 2013: Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers Episode Rescheduled

On October 23, 2013, the South Park episode Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers, which had missed its original air date due to a power outage, was rescheduled to air.

December 2013: End of Daily Episode Posting

Until December 2013, new episodes were added to the South Park Studios website the day following their debut, with an uncensored version posted the next day.

2013: Emmy Nomination

In 2013, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

2013: Ranked Tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time

In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park as the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.

2013: Ranked Among Best-Written Shows

In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked South Park at number 63 among the "101 Best-Written Shows Ever".

July 2014: Hulu Signs Exclusive Streaming Deal

In July 2014, Hulu signed a three-year deal purchasing exclusive online streaming rights to South Park for a reported $80 million, although episodes remained free on the South Park Studios website using the Hulu player.

September 2014: Limited Free Episodes on Website

As of September 2014, following the premiere of the eighteenth season, the South Park Studios website featured only 30 select episodes for free viewing on a rotating basis, while the entire series was available on Hulu.

2014: Episodes Unavailable on Hulu

Following the 2014 purchase by Hulu, the episodes "Super Best Friends", "200", and "201" remain unavailable on the streaming service.

July 2015: Streaming on CraveTV in Canada

As of July 2015, all episodes of South Park were available for streaming in Canada on CraveTV, initially consisting of seasons 1–18.

2015: End of Syndication Run

In 2015, South Park's run in syndication ended, by which time it was airing in 90 percent of the television markets across the United States and Canada, generating approximately US$25 million annually in advertising revenue.

2016: South Park's Popularity in Colorado

In 2016, a New York Times study found that South Park was most popular in Colorado based on Facebook Likes.

December 5, 2017: "Super Best Friends" Released on Blu-ray

On December 5, 2017, the episode "Super Best Friends" was re-rendered and made available for the Blu-ray release of the season, presented in its original form without obscuring Muhammad's image.

December 2017: First Eleven Seasons Released on Blu-ray

In December 2017, the first eleven seasons of South Park were released on Blu-ray for the first time.

2018: Emmy Nomination

In 2018, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

October 2019: WarnerMedia Acquires Streaming Rights

In October 2019, it was announced that WarnerMedia had acquired exclusive streaming rights to South Park starting in June 2020 for HBO Max.

October 2019: Bidding War for Streaming Rights

In early October 2019, rumors indicated a bidding war for South Park's streaming rights, potentially reaching US$500 million.

2019: CBS Television Distribution Takes Over

In 2019, CBS Television Distribution acquired full distribution rights to South Park following The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, distributing the show in syndication.

2019: Ban in China

In 2019, South Park was banned in China after the episode "Band in China" due to its taboo topics such as Dalai Lama, Winnie the Pooh, labor camps, and freedom of speech. All mentions of South park in China were removed from the internet.

2019: Ranked Among Best TV Shows of the 21st Century

In 2019, South Park was ranked 42nd on The Guardian newspaper's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.

June 2020: Streaming Rights to HBO Max

In June 2020, WarnerMedia started streaming South Park exclusively on HBO Max.

June 24, 2020: South Park Streams on HBO Max

On June 24, 2020, HBO and South Park Digital Studios announced a multi-year deal for the exclusive streaming rights of South Park on HBO Max.

September 2020: South Park Removed from SBS Television Line-up

In September 2020, SBS, which had aired South Park in Australia since 1997, removed the show from its television line-up, though reruns could air on SBS Viceland.

August 2021: South Park Renewal and Specials Announcement

In August 2021, South Park was renewed through 2027, and a series of television specials was announced for Paramount+.

2021: Deal struck with ViacomCBS

In 2021, South Park Studios struck a deal with ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) to renew the show up to season 30 and 14 additional films, securing the show's future until at least 2027.

2021: Emmy Nomination

In 2021, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

2022: HBO Max Posts New Episodes

Beginning with season 25 in 2022, HBO Max began posting new South Park episodes the day after their Comedy Central airing.

February 8, 2023: Season 26 Premiere

On February 8, 2023, the twenty-sixth season of South Park premiered.

February 2023: Warner Bros. Discovery Lawsuit

In February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit claiming that Paramount breached its exclusivity contract with HBO Max by airing South Park on its own streaming platform.

2024: Season 27 Delayed

The South Park season 27, originally scheduled to air in 2024, was delayed because Parker and Stone claimed uncertainties about the 2024 United States presidential election, along with the proposed merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global.

2025: Paramount+ to Become Exclusive Streaming Home

In 2025, Paramount+ is scheduled to become the exclusive streaming home for South Park once the deal with HBO Max expires.

2027: Future of South Park Secured

In 2021, South Park Studios struck a deal with ViacomCBS that allows the show to be renewed all the way up to season 30 and 14 additional films, enough to carry the show to at least 2027.