History of South Park in Timeline
South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, is an animated sitcom centered on four boys: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick, residing in the fictional Colorado town of South Park. The show is renowned for its dark, often surreal humor, profanity, and satirical commentary on a wide array of social and political issues. Recurring characters and outlandish storylines contribute to the show's unique and controversial comedic style, making it a cultural phenomenon.
1981: Major Boobage" pays 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".
1995: Creation of second "The Spirit of Christmas" short
In 1995, Parker and Stone created the second "The Spirit of Christmas" short, which resembled the style of the later series more closely and was named Jesus vs. Santa.
August 13, 1997: South Park Debut
On August 13, 1997, South Park debuted and achieved high ratings as the top basic cable program.
1997: Series Debut
From its debut in 1997 to the season twelve finale in 2008 the series had been originally produced in standard definition, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
1997: George Clooney voices Sparky
In 1997, George Clooney provided the barks for Stan's dog Sparky in the season one episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".
1997: South Park Debut on SBS Australia
In 1997, South Park began airing on SBS in Australia.
1997: South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series
In 1997, South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series, marking a significant achievement early in the show's run.
1997: Household Numbers
In 1997, The number of households that had Comedy Central jumped from 9.1 million
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 as the highest-rated non-sports show in basic cable history at the time.
June 1998: Comedy Central Household Growth
By June 1998, the number of households carrying Comedy Central had jumped from 9.1 million in 1997 to 50 million, largely due to the success of South Park.
1998: Henry Winkler voices a kid-eating monster
In 1998, Henry Winkler voiced the various growls and grunts of a kid-eating monster in the season two episode "City on the Edge of Forever".
1998: April Fools' Day prank played on South Park viewers
In 1998, South Park played an April Fools' Day prank on its viewers, sparking controversy.
1998: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 1998, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
1998: South Park nominated for the Annie Award and GLAAD Award
In 1998, South Park was nominated for the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program. It was also nominated for the 1998 GLAAD Award for Outstanding TV – Individual Episode for "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".
1998: Highest Season Premiere
In 2010, The season 14 (2010) premiere gained 3.7 million viewers, the show's highest-rated season premiere since 1998.
1998: Chef Aid episode guest stars
Rick James, Elton John, Meat Loaf, Joe Strummer, Ozzy Osbourne, Primus, Rancid, and Ween all guest starred and briefly performed in the season two (1998) episode "Chef Aid".
June 1999: Release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
In June 1999, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was released to commercial and critical success, garnering an Academy Award nomination.
November 1999: Mary Kay Bergman's death
In November 1999, Mary Kay Bergman, who voiced the majority of the female characters, passed away.
1999: Decrease in Ratings
By the third season (1999), the series' ratings began to decrease. The third-season premiere episode drew 3.4 million viewers, a dramatic drop from the 5.5 million of the previous season's premiere.
1999: Students barred from wearing South Park T-shirts and Parker and Stone cancel Game Boy Color game release
In 1999, students in two schools were barred from wearing South Park-related T-shirts. The headmaster of a UK public school asked parents not to let their children watch the program. Parker and Stone went on record to cancel the release of the Game Boy Color game based on the series.
1999: Korn debuts "Falling Away from Me"
Korn debuted their single "Falling Away from Me" as guest stars on the season three (1999) episode "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery".
2000: Cheech & Chong's collaborative effort
For the season four episode "Cherokee Hair Tampons" in 2000, comedy team Cheech & Chong voiced characters representing their likenesses, which was the duo's first collaborative effort in 20 years.
2000: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2000, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2000: Quintuplets 2000 episode airs
In 2000, the season four episode "Quintuplets 2000" referenced the United States Border Patrol's raid of a house during the Elián González affair.
2000: Parker assumes directorial duties
Since the show's fourth season in 2000, Parker has assumed most of the show's directorial duties, while Stone focused on coordination and business aspects.
2000: Drop in Ratings
The show's ratings dropped further in its fourth season (2000), with episodes averaging just above 1.5 million viewers.
2001: Adam Berry leaves the show
In 2001, Adam Berry, the show's original score composer, left the show.
2002: Cartman's "Hey!" included in The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases
In 2002, Cartman's eccentric intonation of "Hey!" was included in The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases, showcasing its cultural impact.
2002: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2002, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2002: Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters"
In 2002, the character of Cartman ranked 10th on TV Guide's list of the "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters", acknowledging Cartman's impact on popular culture.
2002: DVD Release of Complete Seasons
Since 2002, complete seasons of South Park have been regularly released on DVD.
2003: Acquisition of Syndication Rights
In 2003, Debmar-Mercury acquired broadcast syndication rights to South Park.
2003: Eliza Schneider leaves the show
In 2003, Eliza Schneider left the show after its seventh season.
2003: Norman Lear as guest writing consultant
In 2003, for season seven, television producer and writer Norman Lear served as a guest writing consultant for the episodes "Cancelled" and "I'm a Little Bit Country".
2004: South Park voted third-greatest cartoon of all time by Channel 4
In 2004, Channel 4 voted South Park the third-greatest cartoon of all time, marking a significant recognition of the show's impact and quality.
2004: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2004, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2004: Syndication Rights Acquisition
In 2004, Tribune Entertainment acquired broadcast syndication rights to South Park.
2004: "Good Times with Weapons" features anime style
In 2004, portions of the season eight premiere "Good Times with Weapons" are done in anime style.
September 19, 2005: Syndicated Episodes Aired
On September 19, 2005, episodes of South Park that had been edited for content began airing in syndication in the United States with a TV-14 rating.
2005: Cartman ranked second on MSNBC's list of TV's scariest characters
In 2005, Cartman was ranked second on MSNBC's list of TV's scariest characters, only behind Mr. Burns from The Simpsons, showcasing the character's dark appeal.
2005: South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program 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 denounces Scientology
In 2005, the South Park episode "Trapped in the Closet" denounced Scientology, parodying Tom Cruise and leading to Isaac Hayes' departure from the show.
2005: Depiction of the Virgin Mary in "Bloody Mary" angered Catholics
In 2005, the depiction of the Virgin Mary in South Park's season nine finale "Bloody Mary" angered several Catholics.
2005: Best Friends Forever episode airs
In 2005, the season nine episode "Best Friends Forever" referenced the Terri Schiavo case, and originally aired in the midst of the controversy and less than 12 hours before she died.
2006: Comedy Central received a Peabody Award for South Park
In 2006, Comedy Central received a Peabody Award for South Park's "stringent social commentary" and "undeniably fearless lampooning of all that is self-important and hypocritical in American life".
2006: Parker and Stone said that they were "rooting for Hillary Clinton in 2008"
In 2006, Parker and Stone said that they were "rooting for Hillary Clinton in 2008 simply because it would be weird to have her as president".
2006: South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program 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: Depiction of Steve Irwin in "Hell on Earth 2006" caused controversy
In 2006, South Park's depiction of Steve Irwin with a stingray barb in his chest in the episode "Hell on Earth 2006" caused controversy, airing shortly after Irwin's death.
2006: Theme music remixed
In 2006, the theme music was remixed with the song "Whamola" by Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, from the album Purple Onion.
2006: Isaac Hayes leaves South Park
In early 2006, Isaac Hayes left the show. Later that year, the character of Chef was killed off in the season 10 premiere "The Return of Chef".
2007: South Park included in Time magazine's list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time"
In 2007, Time magazine included South Park on its list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time", recognizing it as "America's best source of rapid-fire satire".
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 Stream Statistics
By October 2008, the South Park Studios website had served more than 55 million streams of full episodes.
2008: Final Season in Standard Definition
From its debut in 1997 to the season twelve finale in 2008 the series had been originally produced in standard definition, with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
2008: South Park named the 12th-greatest TV show of the past 25 years by Entertainment Weekly
In 2008, Entertainment Weekly named South Park the 12th-greatest TV show of the past 25 years, acknowledging its sustained popularity and cultural relevance.
2008: Parker and Stone explain their drive to lampoon targets
In 2008, Parker and Stone have explained that their drive to lampoon a given target comes first from the target's insistence on telling other people how to behave.
2008: South Park's "Imaginationland" trilogy won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2008, the "Imaginationland" trilogy of episodes from South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or More).
2008: Imaginationland DVD and Blu-ray Releases
In 2008, the Imaginationland story arc was reissued as a full-length feature straight-to-DVD, and Blu-ray releases started with season twelve.
2008: About Last Night... episode airs
In 2008, the season 12 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: 20th Television Replaced Tribune as Co-Distributor
In early 2008, 20th Television replaced Tribune as co-distributor of South Park.
2008: Jamie Dunlap becomes sole score composer
Since 2008, Jamie Dunlap has been credited as the show's sole score composer.
September 2009: South Park Studios Website Launch 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: Broadcast on SBS Viceland before 2009
Before 2009, South Park was broadcast on SBS Viceland in Australia.
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: South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program 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 and Syndication
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 ceased airing in reruns, remaining exclusively available on DVD and Blu-ray.
2010: Season 14 Premiere Viewership
The season 14 (2010) premiere gained 3.7 million viewers, the show's highest-rated season premiere since 1998.
2011: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2011, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2011: South Park voted number one in the 25 Greatest Animated TV Series poll by Entertainment Weekly
In 2011, South Park was voted number one in the 25 Greatest Animated TV Series poll by Entertainment Weekly, solidifying its position as a leading animated show.
2011: "Super Best Friends" Not Released on iTunes
In 2011, the fifth-season episode "Super Best Friends", which had been pulled from syndication and online streams following the controversy surrounding episode "201", was not released alongside the rest of the season when it was released in HD on iTunes.
2012: Studio runs a 120-processor render farm
As of 2012, the studio ran a 120-processor render farm that could produce 30 or more shots an hour.
2012: South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program for "Raising the Bar"
In 2012, South Park won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour) for the episode "Raising the Bar".
October 16, 2013: Production Deadline Missed
On October 16, 2013, the show failed to meet their production deadline for the first time ever, due to a power outage, preventing the episode, season 17's "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers", from being finished in time.
October 23, 2013: "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers" rescheduled to air
On October 23, 2013, the episode "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers" was rescheduled to air.
December 2013: End of Daily Episode Uploads
From March 2008 until December 2013, new episodes of South Park were added to the South Park Studios website the day after their debut, with uncensored versions following, and episodes being available for a limited time.
2013: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2013, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2013: South Park ranked among the "101 Best-Written Shows Ever" by the Writers Guild of America and among the "60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time" by TV Guide
In 2013, South Park was ranked number 63 among the "101 Best-Written Shows Ever" by the Writers Guild of America and was listed at number 10 among the "60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time" by TV Guide.
2013: Ranked tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time
In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.
July 2014: Hulu Acquires Exclusive Streaming Rights
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, the South Park Studios website featured only 30 select episodes for free viewing on a rotating basis, while the entire series became available on Hulu.
2014: Episodes Remain Unavailable After Hulu Purchase
Following the 2014 purchase by Hulu, the episodes "Super Best Friends", "200", and "201" remain unavailable for streaming.
July 2015: South Park Streaming on CraveTV
As of July 2015, all episodes of South Park became available for streaming in Canada on CraveTV, initially consisting of seasons 1–18, with subsequent seasons released the following July.
2015: End of Syndication Run
By 2015, South Park's run in syndication ended, having aired in 90 percent of television markets across the United States and Canada and generating approximately US$25 million annually in advertising revenue.
December 5, 2017: "Super Best Friends" Re-rendered for Blu-ray Release
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: Blu-ray Release of First Eleven Seasons
In December 2017, the first eleven seasons of South Park were released on Blu-ray for the first time.
2018: Viewership Peak After Trump Season
After the season 27 which featured Donald Trump directly, ratings jumped to over 6.2 million viewers cross-platform, the show's highest since 2018.
2018: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2018, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
October 2019: WarnerMedia acquires streaming rights
In October 2019, WarnerMedia acquired exclusive streaming rights to South Park starting in June 2020 for HBO Max.
October 2019: Streaming Rights Bidding War
In early October 2019, there were industry rumors suggesting that the streaming rights for South Park were being offered to various services, creating an intense bidding war estimated to reach up to US$500 million.
2019: CBS Television Distribution Takes Over Distribution Rights
In 2019, CBS Television Distribution, now known as Paramount Skydance, assumed full distribution rights for South Park following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by The Walt Disney Company.
2019: South Park banned in China after "Band in China" episode
In 2019, South Park was entirely banned in China after the season 23 episode "Band in China" due to its depiction of taboo topics.
2019: South Park ranked 42nd on The Guardian newspaper's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century
In 2019, the series was ranked 42nd on The Guardian newspaper's list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century, highlighting its continued relevance in contemporary television.
June 2020: South Park streams on HBO Max
In June 2020, WarnerMedia started streaming South Park on HBO Max.
June 24, 2020: HBO Max Secures 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, beginning June 24, 2020.
September 2020: Removal from SBS Australia Line-up
In September 2020, SBS in Australia, which had been airing South Park since 1997, removed the show from its television line-up, although reruns were still possible on SBS Viceland.
August 2021: South Park renewed through 2027
In August 2021, South Park was renewed through 2027, with television specials announced for Paramount+.
2021: South Park Studios Deal with ViacomCBS
In 2021, South Park Studios reached a deal with ViacomCBS to renew the show up to season 30 and create 14 additional films, extending the series to at least 2027.
2021: South Park nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
In 2021, South Park received a nomination for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
2022: HBO Max Posts New Episodes
Beginning with season 25 in 2022, HBO Max started posting new episodes of South Park the day after their Comedy Central airing.
February 2023: Warner Bros. Discovery Lawsuit
In February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit alleging that Paramount breached its exclusivity contract with HBO Max by airing South Park on its own streaming platform.
2024: Season 27 Delay
Although 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 along with the merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global.
July 21, 2025: Agreement with Paramount+
On July 21, 2025, Parker and Stone announced a five-year agreement with Paramount+ to stream the series exclusively and to have 10 episodes produced per year.
October 16, 2025: Season 28 premiered
On October 16, 2025, the twenty-eighth season premiered.
2025: Paramount+ to Become Exclusive Streaming Home
In 2025, Paramount+ is set to become the exclusive streaming home for South Park once the deal with HBO Max expires.
2027: Expected End of Renewal Deal
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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