South Park's History of Serialization

While I was uploading this I realized I missed a GREAT example of early serialization and I feel so dumb for forgetting about it. The Bigger Longer & Uncut follow up where Saddam returns to hell, can't believe I missed it! Mybad!

I'd argue that Mint Berry Crunch is the most cereal-ized element of the show

One of the best things about the serialization of South Park would be how Mr. Garrison was one of the few characters who had a story that carried from season to season, creating a subtle sense of continuity on a show that was still technically a floating timeline with status quo resets. Matt and Trey even made reference to it during their season one commentaries. A lot of characters on the show never had a defined arc, but Mr. Garrison definitely had development as the series played out.

My favorite reference to continuity was in Terrace and Philip Behind the Blow where Cartman threatens to feed Philip his parents with Stan saying "he'll do it." This episode comes right after the Scott Tennorman one

South Park has a lot of subtle continuity that’s often overlooked, it makes the show more rewarding to watch chronologically and it’s really an underrated aspect of the show. Great vid as usual!

I being following South Park since season 9, and I honestly always thought the show was serialized. But not serialized like Bojack is, more like how Futurama is. The best kind in my opnion for any show

I think the light serialization is the way forward. Somewhat loosely connected stories and then managing to tie them in the finale is really impressive, the Bezos season was the best representation of that.

I love how mr garrison has a noticeable story arc over the first few seasons if you watch it in order. The kids stuff was self contained but mr garrisons was always like the continuity character, so many status quo shake ups either revolved around or involved him somehow. 1 he replaces mr hat with mr twig. 2 comes out as gay 3 becomes a mountain man 4 teaches kindergarten And the rest you mentioned in the video

One of my favorite pieces of South Park serialization is character death. To my memory, once a character dies, they are dead (besides Kenny, which they explained away).

I’m so glad they leaned into serialisation, S19+ have felt like such a different energy and it’s kept the show really fresh light serialisation is definitely the way to go, I haven’t rewatched S20 since it aired but it got pretty derailed towards the end

I'm just glad that Matt & Trey refuse to let the show go stale. Maybe some experiments don't land, but experimentation is necessary.

It would be better to talk about serialization by making a multi-part video

S19, as well as S25+Streaming Wars have had my favorite serialized aspects to date. I love it when they can still mostly be standalone, but still connected, it feels rewarding to watch. I also love the status quo shifts, primarily from those seasons; they're fun & keep the show fresh, and it feels as if this world is changing as it grows, which I love.

I just wanted to go to bed… but now you posted

I think one of my favorite aspects about South Park experimenting with serialization is that it really showcases their writing process to its fullest extent. Where boring writing usually just has a lot of “and then this happens” aspect to it, their writing includes “therefore” and “however” meaning that when a decision or choice is made, it always has consequences and they frequently try to harken back to it, often to a hilarious degree.

This is great, considering the announcement of season 26! Good timing!

From Season 21 onward, South Park found a strong balance between serialisation and episodic. Stories are more rewarding and cohesive than ever, but also function successfully under the constraints of making a show in six days. The same goes for Season 19, though that one had a more ambitious storyline in comparison. The only times serialisation didn't work properly were in Seasons 6, 18 and 20. 6 juggled around ideas a lot with not enough episodes to flesh them out. 18's story was so basic it would better serve as a three-parter at most, and 20 was extremely committed but lacked foreshadowing and planning, though it didn't drop the ball nearly as hard as unrelated examples like Star Vs. the Forces of Evil's final season. Of these unsuccessful attempts, my favourite is Season 20. The South Park duo deserve major respect for keeping their creation fresh and innovative despite the hiccups, which can't be said for most long-running programmes. Also, the Streaming Wars Specials are a masterclass in storytelling. Just, wow!

I always watched South Park hella out of order growing up, because I always just caught whatever episodes I could on cable. Their serialized and proto-serialized stuff was always some of my favorite batches of episodes. I think ebbing and flowing with serialization is the right move; have recurring plot elements serve as a basis for new and interesting story ideas. IE the hotdog house.

They really did a whole Tegrity Farms season lmaooo. Who tf idea was that?

I was a teenager during season 20. I was the core demo, and I was so invested in it. As the season went on, it really did fizzle out. I loved when South Park had serialized narratives even if they were short or small threads. It's why I love the games so much. Both of them are filled with references and nods to past episodes. Both have longer narratives and show with time that Matt and Trey could write very engaging and funny longer form narratives. Stan's relationship with Wendy, Kenny's family issues, Jimmy being a stand-up comic, and the Goth kids and their relationship with other characters are all small status quo changes that happen throughout the seasons. It's small, but those small things made episodes that came back to them that much better. I hope they write this kind of small, more character focused serialization Weird comparison ik, but I think My Little Pony: Friendship is magic did this kind of serialization amazingly well. Status quo changes happened at the beginning and end of seasons, but characters still learned lessons and grew.