After 27 seasons, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone seem to be looking for a change. According to a new interview, the duo claims they are shifting the focus away from popular figures like Donald Trump.
Would you like to change the formula?
Since season 20, the Mr. Garrison character has largely been a stand-in for Donald Trump. To some, that’s a fitting parody of the former president, especially considering his current run for office. But the pair say they’re ready to move on from mocking the Republican nominee.
“We’ve been trying to make South Park work for four or five elections, and it’s really hard. It’s really mind-boggling,” Stone recently told Vanity Fair. “It’s obviously important, but it’s also so dominating and less fun.” Parker added, “I don’t know what else to say about Trump.”
double standard?
The Trump/Garrison character has provided plenty of fodder for the showrunners, but there has been one notable absence: President Biden. In the past, the current president has been mentioned briefly in single episodes.
Examples of this can be seen in episodes like “Mystery of the Urinal Deuce” from 2006 and “About Last Night” from 2008. Both episodes attacked the candidates and the incumbent president, but current President Biden has been noticeably absent over the past four years.
According to the two, the decision reflects a broader trend in the producers’ recent endeavors, one example of which being the purchase of Casa Bonita, which has played a role in several episodes over the years. But is that true?
Apologize to Al Gore
For some viewers, it’s hard not to notice a significant tonal shift over the years. One clear example of this is the change in treatment of former Vice President AI Gore. In the 2006 episode “ManBearPig,” the show mocked the former Vice President’s climate hysteria through a character named ManBearPig.
Years later, in season 22, the pair It’s my fault For the former vice president of “Time to Get Cereal”, it was shown that ManBearPig was a real person. A lot of people, including NBC and Vox, jumped on this episode because it clearly changed a story that was made 10 years ago to show that ManBearPig was a real person. There’s even a scene where he brutalizes Lucifer in a street fight.
Many people didn’t realize it, but this may have been the start of a new trend for the two.
Will these changes continue?
As mentioned above, President Joe Biden was noticeably absent from the show, a stark contrast to the show’s history of mocking every sitting president since Bill Clinton. X fans and viewers didn’t miss the memo and paid attention.
Others have joined X’s thread. For example, a user named Cursed World has pointed out that the two refrain from making fun of the left. While some may argue otherwise (there are episodes of woke media culture, as seen in Disney’s Star Wars ), others think that makes them easy targets.
This was pointed out by another user, MoonMilk64, who noted in the comments the strategic mockery of Trey and Parker and who they avoided.
Finally, another user pointed out the tonal shift compared to previous seasons of the show. User Quimn3719331 noted that the pair would not touch on obvious targets like President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. However, they also noted that the pair may not have been sure how to recast Garrison as a Trump stand-in.
Either way, it seems like fan opinions are at least divided.
It’s not easy to keep going for almost 30 years. This is clearly visible in the condition. The SimpsonsThe quality of the show, or lack thereof, has been a major pain point for viewers. There have been changes to the show since it moved from episodic storytelling to the current long-form format.
Either way, both Trey and Parker will have to keep their energy levels up and set the tone for the long series.
