The Changing Production of South Park

[Queen Mab]

I understand the way Matt and Trey do the show now is that they work on an episode per week, roughly.

Sometimes not knowing what they are doing for an episode a week before its due to air.

Obviously technology and financial investment have changed.

Does anyone know how production has changed over the years? Did they always do it like that? or was it like planned out with a good percentage of the episodes planned out before?

I am particulary interested in Seasons 7-9 as these IMO represented the shows best episodes.

 

[OmahaStar]

There's a documentary which aired a few weeks ago, called "Six Days to Air" which would probably be exactly what you're looking for. Matt, Trey, and the others who create the series give a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making the series, from the early days (where it would take a year to make one episode) to today, where from start to finish, it's done in six days.

Indeed, the episode is often delivered to the network mere hours before it's due to be broadcast.

 

[Nowhere Man]

It used to take a long time to make the episodes and they planned them out ahead. Now they don't plan as much and things are really rushed. I think with certain episodes that are responses to an event are written hastily. For example, the 2008 election, they probably assumed Obama would win, but had it set up for Mcain as well. They probably would have made a few changes at the last moment had Mcain won.

All of that being said, I think the silly episodes that have nothing to do with anything, they probably plan some and make some up on the spot. I still love South Park and still think its funny, but you can tell that the six days to air takes a toll on their creativity. I would like to see them be given more time for better quality. Still, I love this show.

 

[Mr Light]

I think it's utterly ridiculous and irresponsible that they only do it the week it airs. You're getting paid millions of dollars.... I would put a little more prep into it. We've had quite a few stinkers lately, too...

 

[od0_ital]

^

Eh...stick with what works. They're gettin' paid millions because of how they do their show.

 

[CaptainCanada]

For example, the 2008 election, they probably assumed Obama would win, but had it set up for Mcain as well. They probably would have made a few changes at the last moment had Mcain won.

No, they said that had McCain won they would have aired the episode as it was and then dealt with that issue in a later episode.

 

[bigdaddy]

It used to take a long time to make the episodes and they planned them out ahead. Now they don't plan as much and things are really rushed. I think with certain episodes that are responses to an event are written hastily. For example, the 2008 election, they probably assumed Obama would win, but had it set up for Mcain as well. They probably would have made a few changes at the last moment had Mcain won.

They half jokingly came and and said they just figured Obama would win, but if he didn't they were doing the episode on election day and would have done a dubbing like a very bad Godzilla movie explaining what was going on. I would have loved to have seen that.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

...I thought South Park was written by manatees.

 

[od0_ital]

^

No, that's Family Guy.

 

[Nowhere Man]

For example, the 2008 election, they probably assumed Obama would win, but had it set up for Mcain as well. They probably would have made a few changes at the last moment had Mcain won.

No, they said that had McCain won they would have aired the episode as it was and then dealt with that issue in a later episode.

I didn't know that. Oh well, I couldn't think of a better example. The point is, when something happens in the news and they want to talk about it, they go ahead and bump whatever episode they might have had. If there's enough time. I wish they would take more than a week to make an episode. If they just took another week, I think we could see some better episodes. These guys think on their feet pretty well, but it is clearly effecting them.

 

[Mr Light]

Yeah, maybe they wouldn't be so miserably exhausted and make episodes like "You're Getting Old" if they took two weeks instead of one

 

[23skidoo]

I think it's utterly ridiculous and irresponsible that they only do it the week it airs. You're getting paid millions of dollars.... I would put a little more prep into it. We've had quite a few stinkers lately, too...

Hey, it certainly doesn't stop live-action productions from sometimes being delivered late, too. Moonlighting back in the 1980s was notorious for forcing the network to plug in reruns because the episodes arrived late. And I read a thing on Saturday Night Live recently that makes South Park's 6 days seem casual by comparison.

Thing is, South Park is supposed to be the animated equivalent of improv. And like all improv, it'll work some nights and other nights it will not. If the technology allowed, I bet Stone and Parker would be all for doing an episode of South Park live. It also allows them to respond more quickly to the news and other events. For example, if there's a new episode in production right now for broadcast next week, I bet they'd probably work Gadhafi's death into the storyline somehow.

I believe The Simpsons has also shortened its production schedule as well - I remember reading that episodes used to take months, if not a year to complete too. And in feature animation the first Shrek took so long to make they had to find a new voice actor for Shrek because the original, Chris Farley, died before production was completed, and that was 4 years before Shrek was released.

Alex

 

[Nowhere Man]

South Park live would be cool.

 

[Nerd unRage]

I think that's what "Book of Mormon" is supposed to be.

 

[FreezeC77]

I would think that the less time in the box it takes to get a concept to air means the more relevant the episode is. So you don't have to wait 6 months to see South Park make fun of something that was in the news...6 months ago.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, I was wondering how they pulled off the ultra-relevancy. Now I know!

 

[LitmusDragon]

South Park live would be cool.

Very few cartoons are broadcast live. It's a terrible strain on the animators' wrists.

Couldn't resist the Simpsons reference.

That six days to air thing was very cool but I feel kind of sorry for Matt and Trey. They really didn't seem to be having much fun making the episode at all.

 

[Nowhere Man]

I would think that the less time in the box it takes to get a concept to air means the more relevant the episode is. So you don't have to wait 6 months to see South Park make fun of something that was in the news...6 months ago.

Agreed, this is the sacrifice we as an audience have to accept.

 

[Broccoli]

South Park live would be cool.

Very few cartoons are broadcast live. It's a terrible strain on the animators' wrists.

Couldn't resist the Simpsons reference.

That six days to air thing was very cool but I feel kind of sorry for Matt and Trey. They really didn't seem to be having much fun making the episode at all.

Something tells me that they have enough clout where if they wanted a change in schedule, they would get it.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

OK, now I really do want to see South Park Live. I bet it could be done, say with joystick controlled or mo-cap avatars.