'South Park' Rebrands as 'South America' in Season 29 Premiere
Comedy Central's 'South Park' opened its 29th season by renaming itself 'South America,' a satirical jab at President Trump's push to rename geographic landmarks like Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico.
Comedy Central's «South Park» returned for its 29th season Wednesday night under a satirical new title, «South America,» continuing the animated series' recent run of political satire aimed at President Donald Trump. The premiere opened with an updated theme song referencing «South America» instead of the fictional Colorado town's usual name, accompanied by a revised town sign and an animated, unclothed Trump.
The rebranding gag extended beyond the episode itself. The show changed its name and branding across much of its official website and YouTube account to «South America.» Later in the episode, characters wearing red and blue «South America Strong» T-shirts appeared during a country-style song celebrating the fictional rebranding.
The premise satirizes Trump's efforts to rename geographic landmarks. Trump signed an executive order in August directing the federal government to rename Lake Ontario «Lake America,» and his administration previously directed the federal government to rename the Gulf of Mexico the «Gulf of America.»
Ahead of the premiere, «South Park» co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone released a statement mocking Trump's renaming conventions and Apple and Google's adoption of the Lake America name. «Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount – a Skydance Capitulation,» the creators said.
While the «South America» premise drove the episode's satire, the main plot centered on the town's kids getting hooked on e-bikes, leading to Kenny's death in an e-bike explosion.
The premiere follows two seasons that frequently targeted Trump and his administration, including the Emmy-winning 27th season. That season began with «Sermon on the Mount,» which depicted the president in a relationship with Satan. The episode won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, marking the show's first win in the category since 2013 and its first since Trump initially took office in 2017.
The show celebrated the Emmy win with another Trump joke, showing a cartoon version of the president with his pants down and the caption, «You finally got your Emmy.» The caption referenced Trump's previous Emmy nominations for his reality show «The Apprentice.»
At the time, the White House responded to the portrayal. «This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention,» White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. «President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country's history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak.»
Entertainment critic Christian Toto argued that the show historically targeted both sides of the political aisle but shifted its approach in its recent Trump-focused episodes. «Last season, it abandoned that approach and went hard against all things Trump. Like many modern Trump gags, the jokes were obvious and rarely funny. In doing so, 'South Park' earned the Legacy Media's newfound admiration. Suddenly, every new episode got 'breaking news' treatment,» Toto, host of «The Hollywood in Toto Podcast,» said.
He compared the shift to that of other major comedy shows, including «Saturday Night Live,» which he said «gave up on bipartisan yuks and became a one-sided sketch factory with diminishing results.»
«The first new 'South Park' episode of the season mostly avoided politics. We'll see if that continues. Will be interesting to see if the ensuing Trump jokes are funny or more 'clapter,' and if creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone return to hitting both sides of the aisle again. It's not as if they lack material on that end,» Toto added.
