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Have you heard? This year is an election year. Next January, we’ll be waking up from our New Year’s hangovers to a sparkly new (and hopefully doctor approved) president. Election years are typically comedy’s time to shine, but with a few notable exceptions, our late night political humor has been a little lackluster. It’s during these difficult times that we can count on one comedy to be as bitingly horrible as it’s always been: South Park.
Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s show has made a name for itself by being gleefully willing to ruthlessly mock everything and everyone, and its weeklong episode turnaround time has kept the show shockingly timely. Most of the time, the show’s commentary is hit or miss, but when South Park hits something, they knock it out of the park. And even though this season has just started, all signs point to the series having a stellar season. The stars have aligned so that arguably one of the most contentious political races in American history is happening the same year as South Park’s 20th Season. I have absolutely no clue what electoral stance the show is planning to take for the 2016 election, but I thought it’d be fun to dive into South Park’s political past for clues. Here’s how the Comedy Central show has handled election season all 20 years it’s been on the air:
The 2000 Election — George W. Bush (R) v. Al Gore (D)
Episode Name: “Trapper Keeper”
Premiere Date: November 15, 2000
Remember when Florida couldn’t get its act together when it came to counting votes? And it kind of, sort of mattered because it happened during the closest election in American history? Florida is the state that South Park (justifiably) mocks in this Season Four episode. Cartman comes to school with a state-of-the-art Trapper Keeper in an effort to outshine Kyle, but a mysterious man under the unfortunate alias of “Bill Cosby” quickly steals Catman’s thunder. It turns out Bill Cosby is a cyborg sent from the future and destined to steal the Trapper Keeper because — it’s Terminator. It’s the plot of Terminator.
While all of this is going on, Kyle’s little brother Ike is running for class president against Filmore, but the election is tied. Only a little girl named FLORA can decide who wins. Flora ultimately chooses Ike, but Rosie O’Donnell swoops in and demands a recount. There’s a lot more drama and Cartman turns into a cyborg, but the election subplot ends with Filmore dropping out of the election, calling it all stupid, and Ike winning by default.
The Takeaway: We really couldn’t get our voting act together in 2000. Thanks, Florida. This episode didn’t really take the time to criticize either candidate, focusing more on the absurdity of the electoral system.
[Where to watch the South Park Season 4 episode “Trapper Keeper”]
Bonus Episode: “Manbearpig”
Just because South Park didn’t attack Gore in 2000 doesn’t mean it left the former Vice President alone for good. Al Gore was notoriously mocked in this episode for believing in a mythical Manbearpig.
[Where to watch the South Park Season 10 episode “Manbearpig”]
The 2004 Election — George W. Bush (R) v. John Kerry (D)
Episode Name: “Douche and Turd”
Premiere Date: October 27, 2004
This is the only South Park election-themed episode to premiere prior to the actual election. Once again, the series used elementary school elections as a parody for the national election, but in 2004, the students were voting for a school mascot. After PETA forces the school to change its mascot, the students are encouraged to write in their own selections. Things almost immediately escalate into an all-out riot between the two most popular write-in selections: a giant douche and a turd sandwich.
Stan refuses to vote, which, if you remember in the early 2000s, was not “cool.” P. Diddy shows up and puts his threat of Vote or Die into action, shooting at the 4th grader. Stan, disgusted by the electoral process, is then exiled to the woods to live with PETA. There’s a lot more gunfire, but the moral of this episode is that every election is between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.
The Takeaway: Clearly, Stone and Parker were not happy with the candidates for the 2004 election, but there is a note of truth to this episode. As a whole, most politicians suck. It’s just a matter of choosing which politician sucks less in your opinion. Also, the Vote or Die campaign was a very dumb and hyper-2000s trend that should still make us cringe.
[Where to watch the South Park Season 8 episode “Douche and Turd”]
The 2008 Election — Barack Obama (D) v. John McCain (R)
Episode Name: “About Last Night …”
Premiere Date: November 5, 2008
This masterful episode is the reason why we’re even talking about South Park this election season. “About Last Night …” managed to mock the over-the-top excitement of Obama supporters and the crippling depression of McCain supporters while being genuinely funny. This is also the first episode that actually follows the results of an American presidential election in as close to real time as possible. Obama wins the election, and the Democrats of South Park immediately launch into extreme party mode while the Republicans plan for the end of the world. Both sides dramatically overreact, and as usual, the boys are stuck as the voice of “reason.”
Meanwhile, it turns out the vicious presidential race was just a ruse to steal the Hope Diamond. Barack Obama is actually a skilled spy, Michelle Obama is an expert hacker, John McCain is an expert in demolitions, and Sarah Palin is just plain cool. They succeed, but at the last minute, Obama changes his mind. He wants to give the whole leader of the free world thing a shot with Michelle. She agrees, and that’s how Obama became president. The most remarkable aspect of this episode was its timeframe. “About Last Night …” took place 24 hours after the results of the 2008 election were called and features audio from Obama’s acceptance speech.
The Takeaway: It’s impossible for election results to completely change the world overnight. The whole episode served as a criticism to Americans who were unable to separate the results of the election from their personal responsibilities. But as an added bonus we learned that South Park could turn over an episode at breakneck speed.
[Where to watch the South Park Season 12 episode “About Last Night …”]
The 2012 Election — Barack Obama (D) v. Mitt Romney (R)
Episode Name: “Obama Wins!”
Premiere Date: November 7, 2012
It’s the day after the election, and everyone is happy that Obama won … except for Kyle. After learning Cartman has hidden hundreds of ballots from swing states, Kyle is outraged and goes to the police. Of course, this is all part of a much larger plan. It turns out that Cartman was hired by the Chinese government who worked out a deal with Obama to ensure Obama would win the election. It’s all very confusing, but thankfully Morgan Freeman makes several narration appearances to help viewers along.
Mickey Mouse comes along and makes a deal with Cartman to release the ballots to the government. See, if Romney becomes president, he’ll take a more hardline stance with the Chinese, which benefits Disney. However, it’s then revealed that the Chinese are actually the good guys. All of this political wheeling and dealing was concocted so that the Chinese could protect Star Wars from Disney. The episode ends on another question: Is it better for the right man to be elected or for Star Wars to be with the people who will protect it best? The polls are set on fire, and Obama remains president.
The Takeaway: Honestly, “Obama Wins!” is far more about Disney’s acquirement of Star Wars than anything else. South Park inserted some really fun stakes into what was otherwise a pretty boring election year. Seriously, check out this episode.
[Where to watch the South Park Season 16 episode “Obama Wins!”]
The 2016 Election — Hillary Clinton (D) v. Donald Trump (R)
Episode Name: ???
Premiere Date: ???
So, knowing what we know, we can probably come up with a few theories about the direction of South Park’s Season 20 presidential special. Because this is a contentious political election, it’s likely going to focus on the actual candidates rather than secondary feuds, like Disney v. Star Wars. Also, gone are the days when South Park would cater to the election through the children’s elementary school classroom. We can probably expect to see a fictional Trump and Hillary. I’m guessing this episode will likely follow the hyper-timely format of “About Last Night …” more than any other episode, which will require some impressive work on South Park’s end.
However, there’s one big problem: the Canadian version of Donald Trump was raped and murdered last season. Lately, the series has been playing with continuity, so if it continues on that route, Mr. Garrison will likely continue to stand as South Park’s Trump replacement, as he did during Season 20’s premiere. And now you have all learned I know too much about South Park.
