South Park: The Streaming Wars

Yes, South Park has always been satiric. Fine. But the focus over the last few seasons has shifted from the core of Kenny, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman (and Butters) to Randy, Tegridy Farms, PC Principal, blah...blah...blah. I like good satire, but they have drained the storylines for all they are worth. Remember Jared beating a dead horse in Season 6? We are now at that point. Shift the focus back to the kids. Please....

I know that the last few seasons have been panned by audiences and critics, everyone loves South Park for their own reasons whether it be nostalgia, great jokes, toilet humor, whatever..

For me I have enjoyed the direction the show has gone and I'll try to help explain why it is better (with the exception of a few episodes). Although I was the first to be extremely upset in the constant reduction in episodes the quality of the content has gone up. They are able to connect the story over multiple episodes which has jokes references hitting twice. I suppose if you didn't like the first joke it won't hit hard a second time but it seems to me that half of the viewers do not understand the satire behind the jokes made. I understand the joke itself may not be a knock out with every viewer as people have become more sensitive about certain topics, do not care for toilet humor, or it went over their head, but believe me, the writing is still as solid as it ever was if not better. There are fundamentally multiple levels of storytelling here in streaming wars- first I appreciate the connections that go back to the last season that were comical for me and they worked here too. Second streaming wars is relevant with the entertainment industry's constant struggle with retaining and paying talent, becoming a monopoly, etc etc. Third, have you all not seen the actual "streaming wars" in the American west? Africa? General shortage of water? The reviews that I have been reading about how people aren't laughing anymore, I promise that half of you aren't laughing because you don't understand the joke references. The other half may be offended or just got tired of the story. Randy's Tegridy weed antics have about run it's course, but I appreciate that Towlie is now a recurring character, so win some lose some. The episodes that he is the prominent character I rewatch less of, but I still enjoy them. Don't give up on this series, if the jokes or the story isn't landing, try to see what they are referencing behind the reference. There is a reason Family Guy has never won an Emmy and South Park has a vault full. It's not for everyone but there is quality writing.

It's not South Park's best and it's the weakest of the television specials, so far. Cartman is usually a highlight of the show, but the subplot of him and his mom wasn't really interesting or even funny to watch. The comments on streaming services are funny and the special's way of portraying that is clever. I personally just didn't find it super funny, but still enjoyed it! If you're a fan of South Park, it's definitely worth the Paramount+ free trial.

I just didn't love this. I'm not sure why it needed to be a special instead of just an episode.

Frankly, I'm sick of Tegridy Farms. I'm actually kind of sick of Randy being such a prominent character. I miss Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny being the main characters. That's what the whole show was. And I like Randy, but there's nothing new being presented to the viewer. Just more of the same old stuff.

This just didn't have many laughs at all.

I was so excited to see it, but was disappointed.

It was entertaining enough to see how the plot evolved, but there weren't a lot of laughs. It just felt very light on jokes. The creators continue to focus on Randy and Tegridy weed, as well as rehashing ManBearPig, both of which have gotten tiring. If you're a South Park fan, you'll probably still enjoy it, but don't expect nonstop laughter. The "streaming" play on words had a chance to be funny, but they didn't really utilize it well. All in all, I laughed exactly twice. A far cry from South Park's prime.