Reviews WesternAnimation / South Park

Season 19 - Broadly on-point, but funny?

I must say, as a native of a major East Coast city that I've felt South Park's story this season resonated. Whether it was urban gentrification, to strident attempts by various groups to alter language and current societal norms to fit their view of proper societal values, I've been witness to all of that firsthand. I also appreciated the They Live-esque nod in the finale.

But is it FUNNY? (Or, at least, did I only find it funny because it broadly agreed with my political views?) I couldn't answer that question. There seems to be a trend in television comedy these days to find the humor in the mundane and "relatable." Shows such as Master of None use this quite successfully, but South Park has shined and shines because it found humor in the transgressive, rather than the bleeding edge of current events or the mundane and relatable.

It has become harder and harder to do that as more and more shows have taken this tack, as more and more critically-acclaimed TV is online (outside of the purview of the FCC), and as the cable environment itself has become more liberal. It's also possible that they couldn't bee too transgressive due to decisions from the suits to avoid damaging Comedy Central's image, given the topics they were discussing. That said, though, South Park's notorious image was what made it unique.

Don't read this as me not suggesting that you watch the show, because I found this season well-thought-out. Perhaps, though, this season shows that almost 20 years on South Park's mission is accomplished, and that now it is part of the establishment it rails against.