History of South Park Timeline

(August 13, 1997 – Present)

South Park is an American adult animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central. The show originated from two animated short films, 'The Spirit of Christmas' (1992 and 1995), and premiered in August 1997. Known for its crude animation style, dark humor, and rapid production schedule that allows it to comment on current events, South Park follows four boys—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—in the fictional Colorado town of South Park. It has become one of the longest-running and most acclaimed animated series in television history, winning multiple Emmy Awards and spawning a feature film, video games, and the Tony Award-winning musical 'The Book of Mormon.' More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Origins and Creation

Parker and Stone meet at University of Colorado

1992

Trey Parker and Matt Stone met in a film class at the University of Colorado in 1992 and discovered a shared love of Monty Python, which they often cite as one of their primary inspirations for their future work.

Image source: South Park

First The Spirit of Christmas short released

1992

Parker and Stone developed South Park from two animated short films titled The Spirit of Christmas. The first was released in 1992 as an early prototype featuring crude cutout-style animation.

Second The Spirit of Christmas short released

1995

Created in 1995, the second The Spirit of Christmas short resembled the style of the later series more closely and helped spark interest that would lead to the television series.

Disagreements with Fox over Mr. Hankey

1996

During a meeting at the Fox office in Century City, disagreements between Parker, Stone, and the network arose, mainly over Fox's refusal to air a show that included a supporting talking stool character named Mr. Hankey; some executives at 20th Century Fox Television agreed with this stance.

Awards and Reception

South Park wins CableACE Award for Best Animated Series

1997

South Park won the CableACE Award for Best Animated Series in 1997, the last year the awards were given out.

Cartman's "Hey!" enters Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases

2002

Cartman's eccentric intonation of "Hey!" was included in the 2002 edition of The Oxford Dictionary of Catchphrases.

Image source: Eric Cartman

Peabody Award awarded to Comedy Central

2006

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".

Time names South Park among best shows ever

2007

In 2007, Time magazine included the show on its list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time", proclaiming it as "America's best source of rapid-fire satire" for the past decade.

TV Guide ranks South Park tenth greatest cartoon

2013

In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time, and the Writers Guild of America also placed it number 63 among the "101 Best-Written Shows Ever".

Cast, Music, and Production

George Clooney guest voices Stan's dog Sparky

1997

As a joke response to celebrity interest, Parker and Stone offered low-profile non-speaking roles. George Clooney provided the barks for Stan's dog Sparky in the season one episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride".

Image source: Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride

Korn debuts single on South Park

Oct 27, 1999

The band Korn debuted their single "Falling Away from Me" as guest stars on the season three (1999) Halloween episode "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery".

Mary Kay Bergman dies

Nov 1999

Mary Kay Bergman voiced the majority of the female characters on South Park until her death in November 1999.

Image source: Mary Kay Bergman

Parker takes over most directorial duties

2000

Since the show's fourth season (2000), Trey Parker has assumed most of the show's directorial duties, while Matt Stone relinquished his share of directing to focus on coordination and business aspects of production.

Cheech & Chong voice characters on the show

May 31, 2000

Comedy team Cheech & Chong voiced characters representing their likenesses for the season four (2000) episode "Cherokee Hair Tampons", which was the duo's first collaborative effort in 20 years.

Norman Lear serves as guest writing consultant

2003

Television producer Norman Lear, an idol of both Parker and Stone, served as a guest writing consultant for the season seven (2003) episodes "Cancelled" and "I'm a Little Bit Country", seeing the show as a way to bond with his son Benjamin.

Theme music remixed with "Whamola"

2006

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

Image source: South Park

Isaac Hayes departs; Chef killed off

Mar 2006 - Mar 22, 2006

After Isaac Hayes left the show in early 2006 following the Scientology controversy, the character of Chef was killed off in the season ten premiere "The Return of Chef".

Image source: The Return of Chef

Series switches to high definition

2009

From its 1997 debut through the season twelve finale in 2008, the series was produced in standard definition with a 4:3 aspect ratio. In 2009, it switched to 16:9 high-definition 1080p beginning with season thirteen.

Production deadline missed due to power outage

Oct 15, 2013 - Oct 23, 2013

On October 16, 2013, the show failed to meet its production deadline for the first time ever after a power outage prevented season 17's "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers" from being finished; it aired a week later on October 23, 2013.

Broadcast and Milestones

South Park premieres on Comedy Central

Aug 13, 1997

South Park debuted with the episode "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" on August 13, 1997, launching one of the most successful animated series in adult television history.

Ratings peak with season two episode

Apr 22, 1998

The ratings peaked with the second episode of season two, "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut", which aired on April 22, 1998. During spring 1998, eight of the ten highest-rated shows on basic cable were South Park episodes.

Image source: Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut

Comedy Central households grow dramatically

Jun 1998

The number of households that had Comedy Central jumped from 9.1 million in 1997 to 50 million by June 1998, driven largely by the popularity of South Park.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut released

Jun 1999

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

Image source: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut released

"Quintuplets 2000" references Elián González raid

Apr 26, 2000

One of the earliest examples of South Park's rapid production turnaround came in the season four episode "Quintuplets 2000", which referenced the Border Patrol raid during the Elián González affair just four days before it aired.

Image source: Quintuplets 2000

"Quintuplets 2000" references Elián González raid

"Best Friends Forever" airs amid Terri Schiavo case

Mar 30, 2005

The season nine episode "Best Friends Forever" referenced the Terri Schiavo case and originally aired in the midst of the controversy, less than 12 hours before she died. It later won an Emmy Award.

ViacomCBS deal extends show through 2027

Aug 2021

In 2021, South Park Studios struck a deal with ViacomCBS allowing renewal up to season 30 plus 14 additional films, carrying the show to at least 2027. In August 2021, Paramount+ specials were announced, with the first two released later that year.

Season 27 delayed amid election uncertainty

2024

Though season 27 would have originally aired in 2024, it was delayed due to uncertainties about the 2024 United States presidential election and the merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global.

Season twenty-eight premieres

Oct 16, 2025

The twenty-eighth season of South Park premiered on October 16, 2025, continuing the show's run under the new Paramount+ agreement.

Controversies

April Fools' Day prank controversy

Apr 1, 1998

Among the show's specific controversies was an April Fools' Day prank played on its viewers in 1998, which angered fans who had been anticipating the resolution of the Cartman's-mother cliffhanger.

Game Boy Color game canceled

1999

In 1999, Parker and Stone went on record to cancel the release of the Game Boy Color game based on the series, determining that a game based on an adult animated series would be inappropriate for a console whose core demographic consisted of children.

Image source: South Park (video game)

Cartman voted favorite personality by UK schoolchildren

1999

As the series became popular, students in two schools were barred from wearing South Park-related T-shirts, and the headmaster of a UK public school asked parents not to let children watch after eight- and nine-year-olds voted Cartman their favorite personality in a 1999 poll.

"Band in China" triggers ban in China

Oct 2, 2019

Because the season 23 (2019) episode "Band in China" involved many taboo topics such as the Dalai Lama, Winnie the Pooh, labor camps, freedom of speech, and cannabis culture, South Park was entirely banned in China after its broadcast.

Image source: Band in China

Streaming and Distribution

DVD releases begin

2002

Complete seasons of South Park have been regularly released in their entirety on DVD since 2002, with season twenty-six being the most recently released.

Syndication rights acquired by Debmar-Mercury and Tribune

2003 - 2004

Broadcast syndication rights to South Park were acquired by Debmar-Mercury and Tribune Entertainment in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

Edited episodes begin running in syndication

Sep 19, 2005 - 2015

Episodes further edited for content began running in syndication on September 19, 2005, aired with a TV-14 rating. By its end in 2015, it aired in 90 percent of US and Canadian TV markets, generating an estimated $25 million a year in advertising revenue.

Free streaming launches on South Park Studios website

Mar 2008 - Dec 2013

In March 2008, Comedy Central made every episode available for free full-length legal streaming on SouthParkStudios.com. New uncensored episodes were posted the day after debut until December 2013, and the site grew to 55 million streams by October 2008.

Hulu acquires streaming rights

Jul 2014

In July 2014, Hulu signed a three-year deal purchasing exclusive online streaming rights to South Park for a reported $80 million.

HBO Max secures exclusive streaming rights

Oct 2019 - Jun 24, 2020

After a bidding war estimated as high as $500 million, HBO secured a multi-year deal for exclusive streaming rights to South Park on HBO Max starting June 24, 2020, posting new episodes the day after airing beginning with season 25 in 2022.

SBS drops South Park in Australia

Sep 2020

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

Paramount+ becomes exclusive streaming home

Jul 21, 2025

After the HBO Max deal expired in late June 2025, Parker and Stone announced a five-year agreement on July 21, 2025 with Paramount+ to stream the series exclusively, with 10 episodes produced per year.

Key Facts

The show originated from two short films called 'The Spirit of Christmas,' made by Trey Parker and Matt Stone in 1992 and 1995; the 1995 version was sent out as a viral video card by a Fox executive.
South Park premiered on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997, and quickly became one of the network's highest-rated shows.
Each episode is produced in about six days, allowing the show to incorporate very recent current events and news stories into its satire.
The 1999 film 'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut' earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song with 'Blame Canada.'
Parker and Stone extended their contract multiple times, keeping South Park on air through at least 2027, making it one of the longest-running primetime scripted series in U.S. television history.

Source

This History of South Park timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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