Comedy Central’s ‘South Park’ turns 20
For those paying attention, August was all about anniversaries. Television devoted many hours to the 20th anniversary of the Son of Sam killer and many more hours to commemorating the Aug. 31, 1997, death of Princess Diana.
Lost in those retrospectives was a glance back at a significant pop-cultural moment from that summer. On Aug. 13, 1997, Comedy Central aired the very first episode of “South Park.”
To commemorate the event, as of midnight, Comedy Central has embarked on an eight-day, or 127-hour, “South Park” binge. Making room for some other programming (including “The Daily Show,” see below), it will air 254 episodes between today and Sept. 13, when season 21 begins at 10 p.m.
Truth be told, I was a little thrown off by its scabrous nature at first glance. It seemed like a foul-mouthed take on “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” And that was probably intentional. Over two decades, “South Park” has taken on myriad topics, often airing episodes about subjects with the immediacy of breaking news.
While still overseeing this subversive little cartoon, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone also wrote and produced the 2004 marionette masterpiece “Team America: World Police” and bewitched Broadway with their musical, “The Book of Mormon.”
I personally love how, amid all their targets, they have reserved a special venom for the smug, emotionally stunted cartoons of Seth MacFarlane. Like other enduring animated series of the last generation, including “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” the Colorado-based “South Park” gains a certain satirical power from being located far from the media capitals of New York and Los Angeles.
PUTTING ‘WORST’ FIRST
Can you make a romance about two of the most odious and selfish people? The comedy “You’re the Worst” (10 p.m., FXX, TV-MA) is now four seasons into finding the answer to that question. Season four begins with an hourlong episode involving a proposal, an acceptance, an anxiety attack and an abandonment. Would you expect anything else?
As with the Hulu comedy “Difficult People,” a little of this goes a long way.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Live results on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› Asian cuisine inspires on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› Hodges and Brady’s game grows more dangerous on “Mr. Mercedes” (8 p.m., Audience, TV-MA).
› On two episodes of “Marlon” (NBC, TV-PG), surgery (9 p.m.), domestic arrangements (10 p.m.).
› “Road to 9/11: The Days of Terror (2000-2003)” (9 p.m., History, TV-14) profiles the hijackers behind the Sept. 11 attacks.
› On two episodes of “Wahlburgers” (A&E, TV-PG), Philadelphia freedom (9 p.m.), Vegas VIPs (9:30 p.m.).
› Grace and Harris cooperate for their children’s sake on “Salvation” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› Franklin’s future seems certain on the season finale of “Snowfall” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin.tvguy@gmail.com.