History of South Park in Timeline
South Park is an animated sitcom centered on four boys—Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny—living in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the show is known for its profanity, dark humor, and surreal storylines. It satirizes a wide range of subjects, from current events and celebrities to social and political issues, making it a controversial yet popular staple of Comedy Central.
1997: Series Debut in Standard Definition
From its debut in 1997, the series was originally produced in standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
1997: Comedy Central Households
In 1997, the number of households that had Comedy Central jumped to 9.1 million.
1997: South Park Wins CableACE Award
South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.
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, earning an 8.2 rating (6.2 million viewers) and setting a record at the time as the highest-rated non-sports show in basic cable history.
June 1998: Comedy Central Households Reach 50 Million
By June 1998, the number of households that had Comedy Central jumped to 50 million.
1998: April Fools' Day Prank
In 1998, South Park played an April Fools' Day prank on its viewers.
1998: South Park Nominated for Annie and GLAAD Awards
In 1998, South Park was nominated for the Annie Award and the GLAAD Award.
1998: Emmy Nomination
In 1998, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
1998: Highest-Rated Season Premiere
The season 14 (2010) premiere gained 3.7 million viewers, the show's highest-rated season premiere since 1998.
1999: Series Ratings Begin to Decrease
By the third season in 1999, the series' ratings began to decrease, with the premiere episode drawing 3.4 million viewers.
1999: Controversy and Game Cancellation
In 1999, schools banned South Park T-shirts, parents were asked to restrict their children's viewing, and a Game Boy Color game was canceled due to inappropriateness.
2000: Emmy Nomination
In 2000, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2000: Ratings Drop Further
In 2000, the show's ratings dropped further during its fourth season, with episodes averaging just above 1.5 million viewers, although the season premiere would get 22.1 million viewers.
2002: Catchphrase Inclusion in 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: DVD Releases Begin
In 2002, complete seasons of South Park began being regularly released in their entirety on DVD.
2002: Cartman Ranked 10th on TV Guide's List
The character of Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's 2002 list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters".
2003: Debmar-Mercury Acquires Syndication Rights
In 2003, Debmar-Mercury acquired broadcast syndication rights to South Park.
2004: Ranked Third-Greatest Cartoon of All Time
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: Tribune Entertainment Acquires Syndication Rights
In 2004, Tribune Entertainment acquired broadcast syndication rights to South Park.
September 19, 2005: Syndicated Episodes Begin Airing
On September 19, 2005, episodes of South Park that were further edited for content began airing in syndication, carrying a TV-14 rating in the United States.
2005: Emmy Award Win for "Best Friends Forever"
In 2005, the South Park episode "Best Friends Forever" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour).
2005: "Trapped in the Closet" Controversy
In 2005, the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet" criticized Scientology, leading to controversy involving Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes' departure.
2005: Controversy over "Bloody Mary" Episode
In 2005, the South Park season nine finale episode "Bloody Mary", which depicted the Virgin Mary, angered several Catholics.
2005: Cartman Ranked Second on MSNBC's List
The character of Cartman ranked second on MSNBC's 2005 list of TV's scariest characters.
2006: Comedy Central Receives Peabody Award
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". They also spoke about the show's approach to political satire.
2006: Controversy over Steve Irwin Depiction
In 2006, South Park's depiction of Steve Irwin with a stingray barb in his chest in the episode "Hell on Earth 2006" sparked controversy.
2006: Emmy Award Win for "Make Love, Not Warcraft"
In 2006, the South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour).
2007: Included on Time's "100 Best TV Shows of All Time" List
In 2007, Time magazine included South Park on its list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time", describing it as "America's best source of rapid-fire satire".
March 2008: Full Episodes Available for Free Streaming
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: Site Streams Reach 55 Million
By October 2008, the South Park Studios website had served more than 55 million streams of full episodes.
2008: Parker and Stone on Politics
In 2008, Parker and Stone claimed they were rooting for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, because it would be weird to have her as president.
2008: Named 12th-Greatest TV Show by Entertainment Weekly
In 2008, South Park was named the 12th-greatest TV show of the past 25 years by Entertainment Weekly.
2008: "Imaginationland" Released on DVD and Blu-ray Releases Start
In 2008, the "Imaginationland" story arc was reissued straight-to-DVD as a full-length feature, and Blu-ray releases began with the release of season twelve.
2008: Emmy Award 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: Series Produced in Standard Definition Ends
In 2008, the series produced in standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio ended.
2008: 20th Television Replaces Tribune as Co-Distributor
In early 2008, 20th Television replaced Tribune as co-distributor of South Park.
September 2009: South Park Studios Website Launched in the UK and Ireland
In September 2009, a South Park Studios website with streaming episodes was launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
2009: Emmy Award Win for "Margaritaville"
In 2009, the South Park episode "Margaritaville" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour).
2009: Series Production Switches to High Definition
In 2009, the series switched to being produced in 16:9 high definition 1080p with the beginning of the thirteenth season.
April 2010: "Super Best Friends", "200", and "201" Removed
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 and no longer aired in reruns.
2010: Season 14 Premiere Gains 3.7 Million Viewers
In 2010, the season 14 premiere 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 in Entertainment Weekly's Animated TV Series Poll
In 2011, South Park was voted number one in the 25 Greatest Animated TV Series poll by Entertainment Weekly.
2011: "Super Best Friends" Missing from HD Release
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, due to the controversy surrounding episode "201".
2012: Emmy Award Win for "Raising the Bar"
In 2012, the South Park episode "Raising the Bar" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
December 2013: End of Uncensored Version Availability
From March 2008 until December 2013, new episodes were added to the South Park Studios website the day following their debut, with an uncensored version posted the following day. After December 2013, this practice ended.
2013: Emmy Nomination
In 2013, South Park was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2013: Ranked Number 63 by the Writers Guild of America
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 to purchase exclusive online streaming rights to South Park for a reported $80 million.
September 2014: Limited Free Episodes on South Park Studios Website
As of September 2014, following the premiere of the eighteenth season, only 30 select episodes were featured for free viewing at a time on a rotating basis on the South Park Studios website, with new episodes being available for a month following their original airings.
2014: Episodes Remain Unavailable After Hulu Purchase
Following the 2014 purchase by Hulu, the episodes "Super Best Friends", "200", and "201" remained unavailable.
July 2015: South Park Streaming on CraveTV in Canada
As of July 2015, all episodes of South Park were made available for streaming in Canada on the CraveTV service, initially consisting of seasons 1–18.
2015: Syndication Run Ends
In 2015, the syndicated run of South Park ended after airing in 90% of television markets in the United States and Canada, generating approximately US$25 million a year in advertising revenue.
December 5, 2017: "Super Best Friends" Re-Release on Blu-ray
On December 5, 2017, the fifth-season 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: Streaming Rights Bidding War
In early October 2019, industry rumors suggested an intense bidding war for the streaming rights to South Park, estimated to be as high as US$500 million.
2019: CBS Television Distribution Takes Over Distribution Rights
In 2019, CBS Television Distribution took over the full distribution rights of South Park following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company.
2019: Ban in China After "Band in China" Episode
In 2019, South Park was banned in China after the season 23 episode "Band in China" due to its coverage of taboo topics. This resulted in the deletion of articles, forums, pages, and videos related to the show.
2019: Ranked 42nd on The Guardian's List
In 2019, the series was ranked 42nd on The Guardian newspaper's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.
June 24, 2020: HBO Max Secures Exclusive Streaming Rights
On June 24, 2020, HBO and South Park Digital Studios announced that HBO had secured a multi-year deal for the exclusive streaming rights for South Park on their HBO Max service starting.
2021: Deal Struck to Renew Show Through Season 30
In 2021, South Park Studios and ViacomCBS reached a deal to renew the show through season 30 and to produce 14 additional films, ensuring the show's continuation 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 episodes of South Park the day after their Comedy Central airing.
February 2023: Warner Bros. Discovery Files 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
Though season 27 would have originally aired in 2024, the season was delayed due to what Parker and Stone claimed to be uncertainties about the 2024 United States presidential election (mainly the exhaustion of humor set around Donald Trump), along with the proposed merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global.
2025: Paramount+ to Become Exclusive Streaming Home
In 2025, once the deal with HBO Max expires, Paramount+ will become the exclusive streaming home for South Park.
2027: South Park Renewal Deal Extension
In 2021, South Park Studios struck a deal with ViacomCBS, which 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.
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