DVD Review: ‘Family Guy – Season Thirteen’

Article originally published as DVD Review: ‘Family Guy – Season Thirteen’ on Blogcritics.

Released a little later than most television sets, just before Christmas, months after the following season began, Family Guy – Season Thirteen is available now. The three-disc set contains all eighteen episodes from the fall 2014 through spring 2015 run, now uncensored with a bit of content you couldn’t see when it was broadcast on FOX, along with a handful of special features (mostly audio commentaries). For the Family Guy completionist, this provides the opportunity to bring your collection up to date. 

Season Thirteen kicks off with the double-length installment “The Simpsons Guy.” As you might expect, this episode finds the Griffiths heading to Springfield and meeting The Simpsons family and friends. Long anticipated, the episode isn’t as amazing as I’d hoped, but it’s not bad either.


This follows the trend of Family Guy in general. While South Park has never been better nineteen seasons in, Family Guy peaked somewhere around season five and has never recovered. The Simpsons pretty much did the same thing, albeit a little later, so the Seth MacFarlane show is in good company. What this means is the program is still worth watching, but not appointment television. Most installments elicit a few chuckles, but none shock or wow the audience like the animated series did in its early days. Unlike South Park, Family Guy has not found a way to reinvent itself, at least not yet, and the crossover with The Simpsons does not improve upon their regular format. Yet, I still tune in because Family Guy gives me exactly what I expect from it week in and week out. It’s comfortable.

I do appreciate that there is a “Making of” featurette for this two-parter. Since it is something unique for the series, even if the story doesn’t feel particularly fresh, I am interested in how it came about. The extra doesn’t go all that in-depth, clocking in at a mere thirteen minutes, but it’s the best bonus on this set, which also includes a full-episode animatic, some deleted scenes, and numerous audio commentaries.

Among the other episodes in Family Guy – Season Thirteen are: “Baking Bad,” in which Peter and Lois open a bakery; “The 2000-Year-Old Virgin,” in which Peter tries to help Jesus Christ lose his virginity; “Quagmire’s Mom,” which helps explains some of the supporting character’s personality; “Stewie is Enceinte,” in which Stewie impregnates himself with Brian’s DNA; and “Fighting Irish,” in which Peter learns to fight from Liam Neeson.

If you’ve been collecting Family Guy DVDs for awhile, like I have, you may notice something strange about the title of this release. The first twelve compilations of the show were released as Volumes, not seasons. This is due to the fact that season one was so short it was combined with season two in its initial production. Season four was then split over two volumes, and many subsequent DVDs split seasons into pieces. Thankfully, seasons tens and eleven were kept together, released as Volumes Eleven and Twelve, and then last year, Season Twelve got its own set. This does mean there are two twelves in the run – Volume Twelve and Season Twelve. But now with Season Thirteen out, the show seems to have gotten its act together and fallen more in line with what the public expects.

Now if only FOX would get around to releasing Family Guy on Blu-ray. I know the animation on this DVD set is crisper than most standard definition programming, but the show has aired in HD for years, and looks even better when viewed that way. Why does the studio insist on releasing an inferior product?

Family Guy – Season Thirteen is another batch of mildly amusing episodes from a consistent series at an inexpensive price, and is available now on DVD.

SOUTH PARK: "Let Gov" In

Article first published as South Park: "Let Gov" In on TheTVKing.

Comedy Central's South Park is an enduring cultural touchstone. While it is not the longest-running animated series for adults on television, it does hold second place, beginning it's seventeenth season last night with "Let Go, Let Gov." The advantage South Park has over its older peer, The Simpsons, though, is instead of getting stale midway through its run, South Park still continues to deliver biting satire and social commentary, making it relevant and funny to this day.

"Let Go, Let Gov" hits a few items recently in the news. The most obvious involves the NSA, whom Cartman (Trey Parker) becomes concerned is listening in on his phone calls and reading his twitter and email. Of course, the NSA doesn't care about a little boy in Colorado, and that's part of the message that shines through. But they are shown paying attention to a lot of other trivial things, so it still lambasts them.

Whether or not people care that the NSA is monitoring us has been a one-sided debate. There are plenty of us that really don't mind, having nothing to hide, but those people don't tend to speak up because it's not important to them. Then there are others who see it as a stripping of freedoms and privacy. Cartman is the face of this side of the argument, stereotyping the worst of that segment, painting an image many may not be pleased with.

Considering that Cartman has no terrorist connections, why does it matter to him so much that he sneaks into the NSA to spill their secrets, a slightly more subtle reference to recent whistle blowers like Bradley Manning? He claims it's because he doesn't want the government in his personal business. This is a valid point, but only if he doesn't shove his business in everyone's face already.

Cartman is part of the constantly-connected community, talking on speaker phone in public places and tweeting his everything he does or thinks. He even takes it a step further and installs the new social media app "Shitter" in his head so his every thought will be broadcast on the internet. When one puts all that out there, it's hard to feel sympathy for that person's complaints that people are paying attention to it, even if it's not the people he wants to pay attention, whether it be the NSA or Kyle (Matt Stone), neither of which are actually trying to spy on him.

Now, not everyone who has complained about the NSA does what Cartman does, and there are nuances to the matter. However, I love that South Park plays on these things in a very funny way, making for a great season premiere.

The 'B' plot is even more amusing in "Let Go, Let Gov," when Butters (Stone again), hearing the government is watching over him, confuses them with God. Soon, he's recruiting a flock to follow his beliefs, too, out evangelizing the Jehovah's Witnesses, and bringing everyone to the DMV for confession.

It's hilarious that a little boy's misunderstanding spawns an entire religion, though not much more ridiculous than some actual religions' origins. That's part of what South Park is going after, never shy about attacking the devout for legitimate reasons. But the other part is a really clever comparison of what religion and our current system of government post-9/11, which I hadn't thought about before, but seems obvious now.

It's this intelligence that makes South Park so persistent, constantly providing new perspectives that make one smile and nod. It doesn't matter if a particular episode doesn't work, or the material quickly becomes dated, because there's another brilliant, up-to-date offering just around the corner. I don't know how long it'll last, but I hope there's no end in sight.

Also, kudos to the updated title sequence, that looks 3D even on a 2D set. It was time for a dramatic change, which the series does every so often, and the new version is pretty cool.

The one odd thing about "Let Go, Let Gov" is that Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live) provides the voice of Alec Baldwin, the spokesperson for Shitter, a fitting app name for both the actor's infamous rants and the next step in social media. Hader does the impression weakly in true South Park style, the voice obviously the comedian's, even though he is skilled at such craft, more so than is displayed here. It's just weird to hear a new person lending their vocal talents, as the show has always been made up of such a limited cast. It's something I could definitely get used to, just jarring at first.

South Park airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

Quickie reviews

I don't always have time to write full reviews of everything. Here are some quick thoughts (slightly expanded) that I posted on twitter @JeromeWetzelTV I think I might do posts like this occasionally from now on.

Private Practice - "Aftershock" : I really don't care that Pete (Tim Daly) has left Private Practice other than that it makes Violet (Amy Brennemen) annoying. Sigh. Charlotte (KaDee Strickland) and Cooper (Paul Adelstein) continue to rock. I love Addison (Kate Walsh), but I'm glad they're wrapping her story up. If she breaks up with Jake (Benjamin Bratt) when she does, though, I'll be ticked.

The Big Bang Theory - "The Date Night Variable" : The Big Bang Theory was very good, as usual. I'm glad the relationships are getting movement, especially Shamy, and poor Raj! Glad Stewart (Kevin Sussman) is a series regular now! Nice addition.

South Park - "Sarcastaball" : South Park was good, felt like the ref strike joke was an after thought, but great commentary on our over protection of kids.

The Neighbors - "Pilot" : The Neighbors had goofy charm in a few spots, but overall, was not very good. Like Coneheads, if they never assimilated. What I don't get most about The Neighbors is how the aliens lived in a neighborhood for 10 yrs without being discovered. They're not careful

"Cartman Find Love" on South Park

In the mid-season finale of Comedy Central's South Park, a new African American girl named Nichole moves to town. At first, Nichole is smitten with Kyle (Matt Stone). But Cartman (Trey Parker) decides that Token (Adrien Beard) is the natural and perfect match for Nichole, their skin being the same color and all. So Cartman tells Nichole that he and Kyle are gay lovers, a rumor that spreads like wildfire through the school, then locks Token and Nichole in a locker room together overnight. Love blossoms, but will it last?

Leave it to South Park to remind everyone about racism in a new and interesting way. Sure, other shows still go after race relations, though the fervor has died down in the last couples of years, but it's hard to think of another series that takes quite the same angle as South Park does in "Cartman Finds Love." By casting Cartman, already known to be a loathsome child, as a crazy racist bent on keeping the ethnicities separate, the animated comedy goes wild with stereotypes without risking offending too deeply.

When the audience learns that Cartman recently accomplished a similar pairing with a couple of Latino children, it evokes a disturbing pattern. Cartman is violent and full of hate, even becoming a serial killer of stuffed animals in the past. Just why does he go to such lengths, and what kind of adult does this set him up to be?

Perhaps Cartman is filled with self-loathing, and just takes it out on others. He shamelessly sells his romance with Kyle to the point that one begins to wonder if it isn't Cartman's fantasy. His Jew-bashing and taunting of Kyle all of these years could be a coping mechanism for strong homosexual tendencies he is in denial of. Maybe when Cartman comes to grips with that reality, it will calm him down, and his irrational anger will begin to subside.

Then again, maybe South Park is just a funny, filthy cartoon that is brilliant at social commentary. It has proven its ability to hit these notes in the past, and "Cartman Finds Love" does so again.

Humor is very present in this episode. From Cartman arguing and fighting with 'Cupid Me,' to Mr. Garrison (also Parker) teaching Game of Thrones as history, to repeat playings of the song "I Swear," "Cartman Find Love" hits all the right notes of funny. If one wants to watch the series without thinking of the deeper issues involved, this episode succeeds. But they're there for those who like to dissect.

South Park will return next fall to Comedy Central.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Please click here to buy South Park DVDs, streaming episodes, and other merchandise. Click here to read every South Park review I've ever written.

South Park does 'Reverse Cowgirl'

Comedy Central's South Park begins its sixteenth season last night with "Reverse Cowgirl." Clyde's (Trey Parker) mother is killed after Clyde leaves the toilet seat up. The men and women of South Park bicker over whose job it is to make sure that the toilet seat is down. The TSA comes to town and begins regulating all bathroom usage to prevent another such occurrence. Upset, Clyde goes with his friends to meet an attorney, who suggests holding a "sue-ance" to sue the spirit of the inventor of the toilet, who died in the 17th century. Surprisingly, his spirit does appear, and sets the residents straight on the issue.

While South Park is often known for tackling current events or contentious societal issues, it's the smaller, simpler episodes, dealing with the trivial that often hold up best over time. The matter of whether men should put the toilet seat up or down falls into the latter category. It's a universal battle that everyone can relate to, but the fact of the matter is, it really doesn't matter all that much. Which is why South Park blows it way out of proportion in "Reverse Cowgirl," making a story that fills half an hour.

Of course, South Park can't resist throwing in a second part to this tale, merging an age old debate with something on people's minds nowadays: the overreach of the TSA. While the letters stand for something different in "Reverse Cowgirl" than they do in reality, and this fictional TSA's actions seem over the top in the face of such a minor infraction, it's meant to shine a light on the real TSA's airport security procedures. How much is too much? South Park may not take a political stance overtly, but it's clear that they think the TSA needs to be toned down. And who can blame them? However, in dealing with humor at the expense of a factual argument, it becomes an amusing side story, rather than a real discussion or biting satire.

South Park is primarily a comedy, and "Reverse Cowgirl" has its share of funny moments. Butters (Matt Stone) insists on sitting on the toilet backwards, which leads to the episode's title, and though lampooned by his neighbors, his theory is backed up by the spirit of the inventor. Cartman (Parker) gossips shamelessly on the phone while eating candy and clipping his nails, telling exaggerated stories to those who were present for the events. Randy (Parker) is given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt in the bathroom of his own home. These are all very humorous, and make "Reverse Cowgirl" a winner.

"Reverse Cowgirl" may not go down as one of the best South Park episodes of all time, but a fan would be hard-pressed to say it wasn't good. It's a serviceable entry in the library of episodes, and one that did the job it is supposed to do.

Watch South Park Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central. Click here to read every South Park review I've written.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Please click here to buy South Park DVDs, streaming episodes, and other merchandise.

South Park picks on "The Poor Kid"

     Comedy Central's South Park caps off season fifteen with "The Poor Kid." A meth lab is discovered behind Kenny's (Matt Stone) house, so his parents are arrested, and Kenny and his siblings are taken to foster care. With Kenny out of the school, Cartman (Trey Parker) eagerly searches for who is now the poorest kid, so he can pick on them. Too bad for Cartman, it's himself. Angry at his mom for the humiliation, Cartman gets himself sent to foster care, and despite thinking he can get sent to Hawaii if he asks, winds up in the home with Kenny. Luckily, Mysterion arrives to expose the bad Agnostic foster parents, and Kenny and Cartman get to go home.

     Cartman picks on everyone. That's his thing. If Kenny wasn't poor, Cartman would find some reason to single him out. Because of that, Cartman is bound to end up as the subject of one of his discriminations sooner or later. But "poor" comes as a surprise. While Cartman's mom (April Stewart) doesn't buy Cartman everything he wants, he seems to live pretty comfortably. Perhaps she still has some savings from her wild days, when she made pornos and things. Considering that Cartman's criteria for poor is based solely on current income, and setting aside that there is no way for him to easily find those figures, her savings could be excluded. Maybe the house is even paid off, taking some of the burden away. Though, Mrs. Cartman does say she is working two jobs, which still makes it seem like she shouldn't be the lowest earner in the entire school.

     The title "The Poor Kid" could also refer to poor Eric Cartman, forced to suffer through the humiliation of being the most economically disadvantaged kid in school. Never mind that he has a mother who loves him and takes good care of him. The selfish child is worried only about his own image, and assumes that everyone is as mean as he is. Most kids aren't, of course, and so Cartman is left making fun of himself. It seems he just can't shake the habit of making poor jokes.

     Kenny is the South Park character that deserves sympathy. Repeatedly killed, and forced to live in a shabby, rundown dwelling, he keeps his dignity. He is also likely Mysterion, or so it appears in "The Poor Kid," comforting his scared little sister, Karen. If anyone deserves bad things to happen to him, it's not Kenny. Hasn't he suffered enough? Though, still funny when a giant turkey eats him at the end of the episode.

     South Park tries to fairly go after every religion and group, so as not to be discriminatory. It's finally the Agnostics' turn this week. The foster parents Kenny and Cartman are sent to are very strict Agnostics, that force their foster children to say "I don't know" to any question of belief. It's funny to see a group that typically doesn't take a hard stand be so full of conviction on their position. Thus, South Park has probably gotten around to every religion now, the set satisfyingly complete.

     South Park has just been renewed through 2016, so fans will get at least five more years of the series. It will return with new episodes next spring.

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South Park has a "Broadway Bro Down"

     In this week's episode of Comedy Central's South Park, "Broadway Bro Down," Randy (Trey Parker) discovers that Broadway shows have subliminal messages that cause women to want to give their men blow jobs. Thus, he begins taking Sharon (April Stewart) to many of these performances. Annoyed at the inconvenience, he begins writing his own show, with the subtext more overt. This angers Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Elton John, all legendary Broadway giants, who come to South Park to challenge Randy. In the end, they all become friends, and help Randy with his show.

     Going after Broadway is timely and predictable, considering that Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, have a Tony-award winning show, Book of Mormon, on the Great White Way right now. This does not detract from the enjoyment, of course, as obviously the duo have some serious skill in addressing the musical world. Robert Lopez, who worked with the boys on Book of Mormon, guest co-wrote this episode, too. But the guys don't shove their own thing down viewers' faces. In fact, other than an extremely brief advertisement for Book of Mormon just before the opening credits, their show is absent from reference in the episode.

     Plenty of other shows get the focus, most notable Wicked. The songs portrayed in the South Park version of Wicked are similar to those in the actual musical, but have some different lyrics, including the word "blowjob" inserted in many places. The same thing happens when other Broadway shows are glimpsed. Are the guys onto something? Does Broadway really make girls blowjob-crazy, despite the notable absence in reality of the subtext glimpsed in "Broadway Bro Down?" Well, that depends, of course. If the woman a man takes really likes the man and the show, the reward may be offered. But that's likely more a show of gratitude and affection, rather than anything in the actual material.

     The portrayal of the Broadway legends as beer drinking, "normal," manly men is the oddest part of "Broadway Bro Down." After all, these people have well-known personalities that do not match at all their South Park versions. But if they even see this episode, a possible, but far from guaranteed, occurrence, it probably won't be an issue. This is a well known recurring gag from the series, South Park always wanting to be unpredictable and force new perspectives. Thus, it comes across as light-hearted, funny, and not mean-spirited at all.

     Things do take a turn for the dark when Randy's daughter, Shelley (also Stewart) goes on a date to see Wicked with a vegan boy, whose last name happens to be Feegan, whom she has bonded with. Randy panics, and must tell Sharon the secret of Broadway, as they rush to stop their young daughter from giving oral sex. This is a bit disturbing, made even more so when Randy meets an older gentleman and his very young granddaughter in the audience. Thankfully, South Park does not actually address kids giving hummers, but instead, with a dig at the failure of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, disrupts the show. Shelley's guy's death is unfortunate, as it takes away possible character development, but not out of the realm for how South Park ties up loose ends.

     Watch South Park Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

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South Park serves up some "Ass Burgers"

     Comedy Central's South Park ended their spring run earlier this year with Stan (Trey Parker) growing cynical, losing his friends, and his parents were divorcing. South Park returned this week with "Ass Burgers," and Stan is still in the same state that he was last seen in. Thinking this means he has Asperger's Syndrome, he is sent to a support group, which is actually a secret organization who wants to expose just how crappy the real world is to the general population. It's a play on The Matrix. Their solution to 're-enter' the false reality where things are cool? Drink lots of alcohol.

     Also, Kyle (Matt Stone) unknowingly eats a hamburger that Cartman (also Parker) kept in his underwear, misunderstanding what Asperger's is. The two go into business selling the delicious sandwiches, setting the fast food companies on edge. Cartman's own body forms a Dutch oven, combining the gases from those places' addictive chemicals that seeps into the burgers. Of course, his secret is exposed, everyone is disgusted, and the business falls apart.

     All of this is pretty funny. In the humor department, it's a fine episode. Sure, one can do without seeing everyone eat hamburgers that came from Cartman's butt. But not actually seeing that process happen explicitly keeps it from being too gross to stomach. And Stan's secret organization is pretty good, as well as the assertion that alcohol makes the world better. That's something many can relate to.

     What's really a shame is that a wonderful opportunity, taking Stan and the show in a completely different direction, is missed. Stan realizes by the end of the episode, and comments on in one of the series's trademark "lesson" speeches, that this is so. It's an exciting new direction for the show. Yet, then Stan's parents get back together, and he realizes things are going to go back to status quo. To be able to handle this, Stan becomes a secret alcoholic, sipping booze from his dresser drawer. Stan's drinking problem could be an interesting, ongoing plot, but more likely, he will just seem like his old self, and the balance will be restored. Which is too bad, since fifteen years in, making substantial changes would go far in keeping the show fresh and new all over again.

     Also not great is the implication that Asperger's is not a real disease. Of course it is, and a serious one that affects many people. While the riffing on the delusion that vaccinations can cause harm is cool, picking on a real condition is not. South Park can go after religion and celebrities, because they chose to be what they are. But people suffering from Asperger's do not, making it offensive that they would go after it.

    Thus, "Ass Burgers" is a mixed bag of funny and disappointing. Let's see what next week brings. Watch South Park at 10 p.m. ET Wednesdays on Comedy Central.

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"You're Getting Old" South Park

     Last night's mid-season finale of Comedy Central's South Park is a potential game changer. The episode begins as Stan (Trey Parker) turns ten. Soon after, he starts to see the things he likes as crappy. Literally. But a strange thing happens when, instead of his tastes maturing, Stan finds everything crappy. This drives away his friends, who get tired to his diagnosed cynicism. Stan's father, Randy (also Parker), resisting getting old, pretends he likes the things the young kids do, even though they sound crappy to him. His wife, Sharon (April Stewart), says she isn't happy with Randy, and hasn't been in some time. He agrees. They divorce and sell their house. As of the end of the episode, Stan moves into an apartment with his mother, and Kyle (Matt Stone), Stan's life-long closest pal, is now best friends with Cartman (Parker).

 

      Will South Park continue on from the events of "You're Getting Older," or go back to its standard formula when season fifteen resumes in the fall? Tongue in cheek references to Randy and Sharon being tired of reverting every week after big fights may point to a dramatic switch up. It is not new for South Park to experiment with change. Examples include promoting the main cast from third grade to fourth grade in season four, leaving Kenny (Stone) dead for awhile, letting Mr. Garrison (Parker) have a sex change, only to eventually switch back years later, and permanently killing off major characters. But this may be the biggest shift yet, with Stan's personality taking a dark turn, and a married couple dissolving their union.

     The fact that Randy and Sharon are done is not all that surprising. Randy gets more plot than any other adult on the series, and he frequently acts ridiculous, often to seem cool to the kids. They are rarely a satisfied couple, and it is about time they split up. While this is very sad for Stan, and likely a major cause of his cynicism, as he feels things falling apart between his parents, divorce is a part of life, and not one given attention on South Park before.

     What may be more confounding is Kyle and Cartman growing closer. Except, it's not all that unrealistic. They share the same social circle. Two episodes prior to "You're Getting Old," in "Crack Baby Athletic Association," Kyle allows Cartman to involve him one of his immoral schemes. Stan does little to talk Kyle out of it, though Kyle feels judged and guilty. Yet, this plants the seeds for a shift in the main group dynamic. Cartman does not like Kyle for many years, often making him the butt of Jewish slurs. But near the end of the finale episode, as the two smile at each other and play video games, there's a clear connection there. Cartman needs a friend, and is likely  jealous of Stan and Kyle's bond. Now it's his turn. How this may change Cartman is anyone's guess. Or Kyle, for that matter.

     It is worth applauding South Park for the bold move, fifteen years into the series. Should they stick with it, and chances are good they will, it will reinvigorate once more an aging show.
     South Park will return in the fall to Comedy Central.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

     Please click here to buy South Park DVDs, streaming episodes, and other merchandise.

Article first published as TV Review: South Park - "You're Getting Old" on Blogcritics.

South Park builds a "HUMANCENTiPAD"

     Trey Parker and Matt Stone, fresh from Broadway success, return to their animated comedy, South Park with a new episode called "HUMANCENTiPAD." In it, Kyle is kidnapped by Apple after agreeing to iTunes's new terms and conditions without reading them. Kyle has given his permission to be part of a surgical experiment; Kyle's father, Stan, and the others try to rescue him. Meanwhile, Cartman begins telling everyone that his mother f***ed him when she refuses to buy him an iPad. He even goes on Dr. Phil, sparking national outrage at his perceived pedophile parent.

     Many parts of the episode are quite hilarious. In fact, sections of "HUMANCENTiPAD" are among the funniest South Park moments ever, and that is saying something. Seeing Steve Jobs and Apple as a company bent on world domination, and feeling free to do whatever they want to their consumers is timely and amusing. Apple is ripe for parody, and sometimes it does seems like they are trying to take over the planet. Their iron control of any content for their devices supports that theory. As such, that conceit works very well here. As a stubborn PC user, I fully support this view.

     Kyle's father goes to the Apple store Geniuses for help, and they use their superpowers to counsel and come up with a solution to save the day. Considering the reverence many people hold for the Geniuses, as well as a reputation of high intelligence, this is great! In this way, the series only attacks the company and its creator, rather than the individual employees whose job it is to help the public. Not everyone that works for Apple is demonized, and Apple employees save the day. It's not exactly a nuance, but keep it in mind when judging Parker and Stone for this episode.

     Even Cartman telling everyone his mother f***ed him is more funny than wrong. The phrase is something totally in line with what the character says in daily life. It also points out how many casual cursers, including children, don't stop to think about the meaning of the words they are saying. While Cartman is simply using profanity to express his displeasure, the adults in the show take him at his literal meaning, and he never understands enough to correct them.

     Justice is served, however, when Cartman turns his complaints to God, who strikes him with lightning. It's a rare moment where Cartman actually gets what he deserves. He may only be a child, but he is a very bratty one.

     Unfortunately, besides the funny, South Park opted to cross lines of decency. Spoofing a recent, growing-popular film, Jobs's nefarious plot involves sewing Kyle and two others lips to anus in a human centipede. One mouth takes in nourishment, and he passes waste directly into the others. Just hearing the description sparks nausea, let alone seeing it depicted. And the show goes a step further by introducing food that makes the situation even more disgusting.

     Yes, South Park is known for crossing lines, but is this a step too far? This reviewer thinks so, and wishes Apple's scheme was not so offensive. Sound off in the comments below with your opinion. 

     South Park airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.

     If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for all of my Current Season Reviews.

Article first published as TV Review: South Park - "HUMANCENTiPAD" on Blogcritics.

The 1st (hopefully of many) Comedy Awards

     With awards shows often hiring comedians to host, and with comedy movies often getting overlooked at the major awards shows, it would make sense that Comedy take their own night to hand out kudos. What's more, since everyone involved is in the business of making people laugh, it is bound to be much, much funnier than other dreary, dragging award galas. It seems like such a no brainer. Yet, it wasn't until this past week that Comedy Central stepped up to host the first ever 'The Comedy Awards', which honored performers and shows from many channels, and aired on several other networks, too. It premiered on television Sunday night, though was filmed a couple of weeks ago.

     Well, of course, success was had! While there was no opening sketch or monologue, the people tapped to introduce and hand out awards were plenty funny. Even the In Memoriam segment showed some of the deceased's funniest moments on screen, celebrating what they did so well, rather than playing sappy music and bringing tears to eyes. Andy Samberg's Lonely Island and Akon performed "I Just Had Sex", which came off even more entertaining than the original Saturday Night Live digital short it was taken from. Jon Cryer also delivered a very classy, amusing bit, playing off current events.

     The sad part is, this show took place in New York, so while all of the New York people were in attendance (Jon Stewart, David Letterman, the cast of 30 Rock, etc.), many L.A. performers couldn't make it. This may be chalked up to first year stumbles, and if the show becomes an anual tradition, more effort to attend among the various nominees will hopefully be made. Because of this, a few major awards were shown only in brief clips, rather than as part of the live broadcast, as the winners were not there to collect them.

     Most winners chose to go for jokes rather than a serious, sentimental speech, which was welcome. Best acceptance speeches of the night go to: Honorable Mention: Kristen Wiig, who thanked several Lornes before getting to Michaels. 3rd place: Trey Parker and Matt Stone, remarking winning an award for South Park, a show that airs on the network giving out the awards, felt awkward. 2nd place: Ty Burrell, representing the mostly-absent Modern Family cast. 1st place: Stephen Colbert, accepting The Daily Show's win, after kicking the real victors off stage, on behalf of all the people sick of being beaten by them for the last eight years.

     Two really big comedy stars were honored with extensive air times. Eddie Murphy was given the Comedy Icon award, and his clip reel reminded viewers that once upon a time, he used to be very funny. Sadly, it appears his acceptance speech was not, as it was thoroughly edited down. Billy Murray presented Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence to David Letterman. The audience went crazy for the elusive Murray. Letterman's speech, on the other hand, went too long and got boring. It's fitting that he won the award, but next time, remember this is a comedy show.
     Other winners included Louis C.K., Childrens' Hospital, Tina Fey, The Other Guys, and Auto-Tune the News for their Bed Intruder Song.

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The Simpsons "MoneyBART"

     Last Sunday, FOX's The Simpsons faced controversy over their opening credits.  For a show that is still good, but is far part it's days of reigning supreme, the attention certainly can't hurt.  The anger arose over the end of the opening sequence, wherin was depicted a maximum security FOX studio, presumably in Asia, where slaves toiled over animating The Simpsons in squallid and dangerous conditions.  The scene then went lower into the factory, where kittens were tossed into a woodchipper to create filling for stuffed Bart (Nancy Cartwright) dolls, and a unicorn, chained to a wall, was used to punch holes in Simpsons DVDs.  It was dark and depressing, more so than most Simpsons openings.  But it was also pretty funny.  It was created by international graffiti artist 'Banksy', whose tag also appears in the Springfield portion of the song.

     And then what followed was a normal episode.  Lisa (Yeardley Smith), concerned that she wasn't being enough of an overachiever to earn her way into an Ivy league school, decided she needed more extracurriculars.  After a disasterous attempt at fencing with Maggie, she senses an opporunity when Flanders (Harry Shearer) quits as Bart's baseball team's manager.  At first she is horrible, since she knows nothing about baseball.  But then she learns how to apply mathematics and statistics, and ends up being an awesome manager.  However, Bart, no longer having fun, rebels, and gets thrown off the team immediately after scoring a game-winning home run.  Eventually the siblings make up.

     There was no edge to anything that followed, and so, a controversy was wasted.  The team reacted pretty passively about Bart and Lisa's struggle for power.  No one seemed to care one way or another about the game and what was going on besides the two main characters.  Their parents were barely involved.  There was no great subplot.  I was amused at the time, but as soon as I started to analyze it, realized that there wasn't really anything there to speak of.

     The Simpsons was once the most talked about animated show around.  Now, over a decade after South Park and Seth MacFarlane joined the arena, it seems tame by comparison.  I hate to say it, but it may be time to let Bart, Lisa, and the rest retire in peace.  The show continues Sunday nights at 8pm, including tonight, on FOX.

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South Park goes after New Jersey and 9/11

     Ah, South Park, how I've missed thee.  I know we only get about episodes twice a year, with months in between, but it's never enough.  South Park is already two episodes deep into the fall run, and I've already been vastly amused.  I thought the show had certainly run out of groups to make fun of and go after, but with NASCAR fans last week, and the denizens of New Jersey last night, they found more material.  I don't understand NASCAR myself, or why people watch any organized sport for that matter, and while I'm sure that is not just watched by poor, stupid people, you have to admit that a lot of the fans are certainly that.  But having viewed more Jersey Shore episodes that I care to admit (I did it because I'm a television reviewer!  But I refuse to embarass myself by reviewing it), South Park did a great job of capturing the cast of that show, at least.  And the women of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, I suspect, though I have not watched even a minute of that show.

     The ways in which South Park worked the reality shows into the episode were funny and clever.  I didn't much enjoy the interrogation of "The Situation", but when 'a Snooki', a hideous, troll-like creature got loose in The Sizzler, I laughed quite a bit.  While Snooki herself isn't ugly, per se, I loved how they took the funniest parts of her and morphed it into something more.  Even better, the creature constantly ate pickles.  I hope she can take a joke.  I also enjoyed the play off of the camera interview, a staple in both reality tv and sitcoms nowadays.  When the camera changed angles and the viewers were treated to a whole living room full of people staring quizzically at a character who had just been doing the camera interview, I cracked up.

     In the South Park world, New Jersey had taken over most of the country, and the Jersey shore had extended down to Texas.  Colorado was next, and the town was being threatened with the rename 'West Jersey'.  Only Sheila Broflovski (voiced by Mona Marshall) saw the danger coming when the first people from Jersey moved in.  Finding out that Sheila is from New Jersey just felt right, and made so much sense for her character, when relating it to the stereotypes played up in this episode.  Kyle (voiced by series co-creator Matt Stone), her son, began to develop symptoms of New Jersians, because apparently it's a genetic disease.  He tried to control it, but prompting from Eric Cartman (voiced by the series' other co-creator, Trey Parker) made it erupt.  In the end, Kyle realized that he had to embrace his heritage to help defeat the coming New Jersey army.

     Perhaps the most offensive part of the episode, though, had nothing to do with New Jersey people at all.  Faced with a looming invasion, and unable to find help, Randy Marsh (Parker) sent a tape to Osama Bin Laden, asking for his assistance.  The Al Qaeda leader sent planes, which crashed onto the unarmed New Jersey hoarde, killing them by the score in fiery deaths.  It's been a little over nine years since the September 11th attack, but is that long enough before you poke fun at it so blatantly?  I was more shocked than tickled by that twist.  And I felt it highly unfair that Bin Laden, after offering aide to Americans in need, was murdered in the final seconds.  Even for South Park, which specializes in offensiveness, it was uncomfortable.

     South Park airs Wednesday nights at 10pm on Comedy Central.

For frequent mini-reviews and occasional tv news, follow Jerome on Twitter.

Neighbors From Hell is hell to watch

     I hate to bash two new TBS show's within one week, especially because with Neighbors From Hell they really seem to be trying something news.  The problem is, it sucks.  I had a hard time getting through the first episode, which premieres tonight at 10pm.  I don't plan on giving it a second try.  None of the jokes landed, the animation was unpleasant, the voices were annoying, and some of the sight gags were pretty sick.

     This disappoints me because this was a show I was looking forward to.  It's got talent behind it, including producers from South Park, one of the best animated shows on television.  The voice cast includes such greats as Kurtwood Smith (That 70's Show), Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live), and Patton Oswalt (The United States of Tara), although the last is unrecognizable.  Unfortunately, these ingredients do not gel into something watchable.

     The premise is simple enough:  Balthazar (Will Sasso) is sent to earth with his family to stop a drill from boring into hell.  Balthazar was chosen because he watches a lot of television, so it is assumed he will be able to blend in.  Unfortunately for Satan, Balthazar likes humans too much to really hurt them.  One wonders what the charm is, though, when the humans in the show act at least as rude and hate-filled as the demons, often more so.  Are we supposed to be amused that we're stupid and mean?

     If you want to check it out, tune in tonight at 10pm on TBS.

Geek Out with Jimmy #18: King of the Final Frontier

     A new Geek Out With Jimmy airs this weekend on HotZoneRadio.  It will play at 7pm Saturday and Sunday.  It’s an hour of television news and reviews by Jerome Wetzel, author for HotZoneOnline.

This week there’s plenty of news, beginning with the death of Fess Parker a.k.a. Davey Crockett.  Sad, indeed.  Also, answers to the following questions:  Which network is interested in 24?  Is Glee not doing 22 episodes next season?  Who else is joining Parks and Recreation?  Which Battlestar Galactica alum is going to be on Castle?  What crazy thing has Paula Abdul done now?  What’s in store for the big 100th episode of Bones?  Who will soon be working in The Office?  Which True Blood star is on another show at the moment, instead of filming the HBO series?  Who is the only original student cast member to appear full time in the final season of Friday Night Lights?  Where has Amy Brenneman gone?

Plenty of shows are also tackled, including Ugly Betty, American Idol, Desperate Housewives, Private Practice, 24, Chuck, Family Guy, Community the return of Flash Forward and South Park, the premiere of Justified and Ugly Americans, and the likely series finale of Scrubs.

Enjoy!

Animation Domination certainly decks something

     Sunday marked the end of 2009 episodes of Animation Domination (or, Seth McFarlane & The Simpsons Night) on Fox.  Let's look at the results.

     The Simpsons, the only holdout against giving the entire night to McFarlane's series of practically the same shows, absconded the Christmas theme for an episode about Bart wanting a baby brother.  Homer (Dan Castellaneta), of course, would have none of it, and all of Bart's (Nancy Cartwright) attempts to trick his parents into it failed horribly.  So he went and adopted an orphan.  The episode had some of the best gags in a long time, from the boys dressed as the South Park kids, to the montage of famous brothers (many voiced by the actual celebrities portrayed).  For those who argue that the show has passed its prime and it so longer as good as it once was, I think this episode joins the ranks of recent ones proving them wrong.  Besides, without Simpsons, could we really take another McFarlane clone?

     All kidding aside, McFarlane's latest creation, The Cleveland Show, is actually fairly funny, just like his other shows, although some of the novelty of the original has long worn off.  This episode went all out for the holidays, even adding a new theme song, with a few fun throwbacks to the show it spun off from.  Cleveland does get to deal with reality of a broken family, though, and for the Christmas drama, Cleveland (Mike Henry) had to find his new stepkids' father and get him to come home to restore the yuletide spirit.  This show tries to be edgy, with Cleveland's boss proclaiming "Hide the silverware!" when his dark skinned employee arrived, but ends up being a bit too silly to be offensive.  My only real complaint about this episode was letting neighbor, Arianna (Arianna Huffington), an uber-religious bear, drop character to enjoy letting the reindeer watch her have sex with her husband, Tim (McFarlane).  Continuity, people!

     Family Guy really kind of skipped the holiday, too, but was ok for it.  Peter's (McFarlane) father-in-law, Mr. Pewterschmidt (also McFarlane),  lapses into a coma, Peter gets to take over his multi-billion dollar company.  Like most episode, the main plot isn't what makes the show.  This one was full of great gags.  For instance, while the town's bar is called the Thirst Clam, apparently it's strip club is the Fuzzy Clam.  When Mr. Pewterschmidt collapsed, he said he was having a "heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack, you oughta know by now", reference to legendary Mr. Billy Joel.  The doctor at the hospital, as well as a surprise pop up at the end, was none other than Hugh Laurie playing his popular fox character House, from the television show of the same name.  Jim Parsons also made a guest appearance as his character, Sheldon, from The Big Bang Theory.  Plus, there were some great Scooby-Doo moments.  And let's be honest, moments are what Family Guy is all about.

     The best of the night was probably American Dad.  It felt like a bizarre series finale for Stan (guess who?  McFarlane), though the rest of the cast didn't get the same payoff, and the series isn't ending.  This episode apparently takes place outside of the show continuity.  Stan and Francine (Wendy Schaal) had sex in a church on Christmas, and so are left behind as the rest of the congregation, including their children, are raptured into heaven.  Stan blames Francine for seducing him, and she leaves him and ends up as Jesus Christ's girlfriend.  Seven years later, as the end times come to an end, Jesus asks Stan to help him rescue Francine from the anti-Christ, and we see what is really in Stan's heart.  It was incredibly trippy, weird, and wonderful.  One of the best episodes of the series thus far, which is saying something, as Dad is probably consistently the best of the Sunday night lineup at present.

     Comedy Central tends to give most shows only a season or two, and this fall is shaping up to be no different.  Two new shows have premiered, The Jeff Dunham Show and Secret Girlfriend, and neither one is shaping up to be a keeper.  Dunham's standup act is hilarious, but broken into twenty minute episodes with skits that send his puppets to the real world, it just falls flat.  There have been a few laugh out loud moments in the first few episodes, but only a few.  It doesn't appear destined to air for long.  Similarly, Secret Girlfriend, while a novel and original idea, just can't hold interest.  Horny teenage guys may drool over it, but once a boy has had a serious girlfriend, or a few hookups, the show should loose interest quickly.  It's little more than filthy softcore porn.  Traditionally, though, the genre has belonged to women, so it's interesting to see a young male's perspective.  However, one episode is plenty.

     These recent failures are not a sign that the network is down for the count.  It has shows like these every year.  It banks on a string of strong, long-running series that continue to deliver.  Jon Stewart has never been funnier, and for anyone who though Stephen Colbert would loose relevance once Bush left office, they were dead wrong.  The dynamic duo keeps late night funny, and still delivers topical political news stories.  Recently, after Walter Kronkite's death, Time Magazine conducted a poll finding Jon Stewart the most trusted newsman in America, beating even Brian Williams, proving that he is more than fluff.  Colbert triumphed again just this month when convincing followers to support the US Speedskating Team.  Not to mention South Park, which after a season or two of mostly duds, which followed some of the best episodes of the series, is fully back to relevance.  Last week there was a great satire on Fox News, among other things, and other recent episodes tackled the meaning of the word fag, dead celebrity ghosts, prostitution, Japanese fishing, and wrestling.  The Sarah Silverman Program should also be back soon, and though Reno 911! has ended a six season run, the network will be bringing back new episodes of Futurama, six years after Fox cancelled it.

     What will be Comedy Central's next big hit?  Afterall, there tend to be about a dozen or two flops in between each successful show.  Luckily, the network seems to have the resources to keep trying, and part of the fun in seeing what they come up with next, even if you have to wade through garbage to find it.