Old South Park vs New South Park

[Purple Monkey]

Just been watching a run of old South Park episodes (Seasons 1-6, lets say) and new South Park (6+) episodes, and we were just chatting amogst ourselves and I have concluded that a) Older South Park is better and B ) I haven't started a thread in ages. Here's why it's better.

- More original. New episodes seem to be about what was in this weeks news, and border on the obvious. Older episodes seemed to be about the kids being kids, and wierd things happening that you couldn't possibly imagine yourself without a heroic dose of LSD.

- Older episodes are wierd. Newer episodes are more based in reality and seem to only go nuts via mocking Hollywood (action scenes, OTT drama). Couldn't see something like the Dr.Mephisto, the Great Expectations episode or the Moses character being concieved now.

- Funnier animation/drawings in the old ones. The new episodes are too refined and "clever". The old cartoons has this distinctly crappy paper style that just made everything funnier. Somehow the new episodes have odd clashing refinements - old characters have basic drawings wheras new characters are drawn with things like gradients, and have more frames. I have this same problem with the Simpsons and how you never see anyone with similar hair styles to Bart, Lisa, Homer or Marge now, but you did in the first seasons because that was Groenings' unique style but it's been lost over the years. Randy Marsh has a black mess for hair and moustache and its funny just looking at him - all the new characters look too "perfect", slick and wrong.

- Way too much CGI in the new stuff. It doesn't add anything. It's funnier when its crappy paper, do it with crappy paper.

- Trey and Matt seemed more hands on in the earlier episodes. This is speculating, but there's something about the new episodes that tells me a ton of animators work on it on computers using XSI or something, and I think that's why it's verging on being too refined (9 our of ten 10 artists want to show off, rather than subdue their work).

- The old South Parks didn't feed celebrity worship/culture quite so much. As much as the new South Parks constantly mock celebrities, I think they do it far too much and base entire shows around it far too much, and it's now feeding the problem as opposed to help destroy it. It was better when they didn't really ackowledge celebrities at all and got their laughs from the characters they created, and when they did introduce celebrities they were really offensively drawn and imitated and laugh out loud funny. Every episode seems to be about the latest celebrity gossip now.

- More satire in the old ones, less spoof/parody like in the new ones. Older episodes would have things like the Okama Gamesphere and Chinpokemon. Modern episodes have had Guitar Hero, World Of Warcraft, Rock Band and Nintendo Wii's. I liked it when South Park didn't shill real products so much.

- Voices were funnier in the old ones. Dunno why, they just were.

I might have just started a discussion not many of you really care about but I thought I'd throw it out there. I've clearly thought about this way too much.

Edited December 15, 2010 by Purple Monkey

[Ed209]

I prefer middle south park. Really think series 6-8 was their peak. So many classic episodes. The balance between social commentary and outright comedy was spot on.

The really early ones are a bit too simplistic for my liking, I watched season 1 again recently and it just isn't that funny. 3 is when it starts getting really good.

Saying that Randy is one of my favourite characters now and he really only came into his own from season 10.

New ones have definitely lost their way a bit though. As you say they're concentrating too much on ripping into celebs than actually just being funny.

[ampersand]

agreed 100%. i was literally thinking about this when i was having my breakfast this morning. i think south park died when they got too up their own arse with the family guy episode and when they killed chef off.

it's far too much of a parody these days and if you're not up on current affairs/american references, you generally won't get it. agreed about the voices not being as funny. they all sound the bloody same now. it seems to focus on a one off character per episode now. it's more about the adults and less about the kids now for me. and cartman has just become really shit when he is the focus.

i just wish matt/trey had done what seth did and make a new show for all their political/brand/meme bollocks and left south park to be what it should be about. the kids. and officer barbrady!

[Cardboard Box City]

South Park used to be way out in front, now its just in the middle of the pack. They've completely swapped with Family Guy. American Dad has creeped up as well somewhere.

Some of the later SP episodes are just tedious - the Britney Spears one for example.

[Purple Monkey]

The Inception episode was the first South Park episode where I thought "Nah....you've lost me there". Sometimes when South Park isn't funny, it's still right or has a sentiment I agree with. I thought their critique of Inception completely missed the point, so I didn't laugh or agree with any of the points being made. That episode seemed like a total rehash of the 1664 episode which spoofed Die Hard.

It's still watchable, but it's a shadow of what it once was.

Edited December 15, 2010 by Purple Monkey

[ampersand]

another reason old south park is better. you wouldn't get mr hankeys christmas classics nowadays. cos it's too far up it's own arse to be funny or silly anymore.

[Ed209]

another reason old south park is better. you wouldn't get mr hankeys christmas classics nowadays. cos it's too far up it's own arse to be funny or silly anymore.

[rexclark]

I have to agree, the original ones are better, the crappy animation, the sheer stupidity of it. I do enjoy the more recent ones and I'm glad some of the lesser characters like Butters have came to the forefront but the episodes dedicated to celebrity are getting a bit much.

[ampersand]

yeah, point on the crap animation. terrance and phillip simply wouldn't work if they were introduced just now. they'd try to make them all detailed and looking amazing. they're one of the simplest characters ever on a cartoon. but one of the funniest.

[worm]

You chaps is gettin' old is all.

[Purple Monkey]

yeah, point on the crap animation. terrance and phillip simply wouldn't work if they were introduced just now. they'd try to make them all detailed and looking amazing. they're one of the simplest characters ever on a cartoon. but one of the funniest.

[Pogues Mcgogues]

The newer ones are better and, being the youngest person posting in the thread, then yeah, worm is right.

Old fogey bastards!

[Purple Monkey]

The newer ones are better and, being the youngest person posting in the thread, then yeah, worm is right.

Old fogey bastards!

[lifelessfool]

I think the new ones, can still be good its abit more hit and miss now. But I do wish it would just stop ripping into current affairs. It is always a breather when they don't now.

[worm]

And I somehow feel even more justified as a result.....

[jump]

I just take South Park for what it is. I love the early episodes but they've done all they can with the characters, I don't want to see Kenny die every week, I don't want to see Stan throw up over Wendy again, I don't want to see another Xmas show with Mr Hankey (I thought the Woodland critters episode was a better Xmas show) if it didn't change the format of the show it would be the same as Friends, Family Guy, Simpsons etc, doing the same shit over and over again and it being stale as hell. With it being purely satire on current affairs instead of satire of childhood means you will get a few dud episodes but for missed episodes like Inception you'll get a Facebook/Tiger Woods one instead.

I do agree with Purple Monkey's point about the animation, I really noticed it when Ms. Garrison went to a bar to meet an assassin to kill an egg and they were trying to make it look tense and serious and I just thought why? I also preferred the old 2D Mechastreisand over the 3d CGI one.

[ampersand]

see, i don't really think the simpsons is stale. i've been watching some episodes from series 22 i think, and it's still really funny most of the time. if the writers are there, then you can still get laughs doing the same thing.

as i say, i wish they'd just made a new show. cos for me, the kids aren't important anymore so they might as well have.

[jump]

see, i don't really think the simpsons is stale. i've been watching some episodes from series 22 i think, and it's still really funny most of the time. if the writers are there, then you can still get laughs doing the same thing.

as i say, i wish they'd just made a new show. cos for me, the kids aren't important anymore so they might as well have.

[ampersand]

i hope they call it a day then. maybe go into something like film musicals, making a team america every couple of years.

[jump]

Not sure that would try to do another movie as Team America flopped in the US (did brilliant oversees though) and would proabably do web animation/threatre so they can have the last say and not give into producers.

Personally I would love to see them commit TO DVDA (they're releasing their 1st album soon ) for a couple of years as I'm gagging to see them live. That's also somthing South Park has over every show on the last 10+ years, the music is actually good whenever Family Guy/Simpsons do a song I'll more often than not cringe but rarely will SP do a song and miss it.

[ampersand]

Not sure that would try to do another movie as Team America flopped in the US (did brilliant oversees though) and would proabably do web animation/threatre so they can have the last say and not give into producers.

Personally I would love to see them commit TO DVDA (they're releasing their 1st album soon ) for a couple of years as I'm gagging to see them live. That's also somthing South Park has over every show on the last 10+ years, the music is actually good whenever Family Guy/Simpsons do a song I'll more often than not cringe but rarely will SP do a song and miss it.

Edited December 16, 2010 by ampersand

[jump]

Track listing...

"America, f**k Yeah"

"The End Of An Act"

"Everyone Has AIDS"

"Freedom Isn't Free"

"Montage"

"North Korean Melody"

"Only A Woman"

"I Am Chewbacca"

"Osama, Osama"

"Gay Fish"

"Hell Isn't Good" (Feat. James Hetfield)

"Hota Lava" (Feat. Perry Farrell)

"Lemmiwinks"

"Let's Fighting Love"

"Now You're A Man"

"Pig And Elephant DNA Just Won't Splice" (Feat. Loverboy)

"Poker Face"

"What Would Brian Boitano Do? Pt. II"

"Everybody Loves Crack"

"David Kelly, TV Warrior"

"Gonna Kick Your Ass"

"Robert Redford f**ks Babies"

"Sgt. Baker"

"Shennanigans"

"That's My Bush!"

"Timmy Livin’ A Lie"

"Warts On Your Dick"

"America, f**k Yeah" (Remix)

"Montage" (Remix)

"Now You're A Man" (Remix)

[ampersand]

hmmm, doesn't really interest me that much. i'd go see them if they supported primus though

[Budweiser]

- Funnier animation/drawings in the old ones. The new episodes are too refined and "clever". The old cartoons has this distinctly crappy paper style that just made everything funnier. Somehow the new episodes have odd clashing refinements - old characters have basic drawings wheras new characters are drawn with things like gradients, and have more frames. I have this same problem with the Simpsons and how you never see anyone with similar hair styles to Bart, Lisa, Homer or Marge now, but you did in the first seasons because that was Groenings' unique style but it's been lost over the years. Randy Marsh has a black mess for hair and moustache and its funny just looking at him - all the new characters look too "perfect", slick and wrong.

- Way too much CGI in the new stuff. It doesn't add anything. It's funnier when its crappy paper, do it with crappy paper.

[adustlandfairytale]

i think the simpsons music used to be great. that whole episode they did with snake breaking into the simpsons house highlighted that. plus the sherry bobbins episode was outstanding. recently though they're not too great. that episode where lisa teaches wullie how to be a gentleman, the song was a bit rubbish.

what songs will be on the album? i've to see weird al and tenacious d first before they enter my mind.