November 22, 2006 - Starting its tenth season in March of 2006, South Park has created a list of episodes that will be remembered years from now. With great highs and really low lows, this season made us scratch our heads over how episodes that could be considered 10's could be followed up by episodes that should have seen re-drafts before being produced. But even with the extreme lows for the series, this season can still be considered a success - when South Park is good there is no show better at making smart satiric comedy.

The first episode of the season really set the tone, as we knew exactly what to expect from South Park after watching "The Return of Chef!" The episode followed the children as they began to notice a difference in Chef's demeanor. In the end it turned out that Chef was part of a group called the "Super Adventure Club," which was set up to molest children all across the world. This offensive take on the enduring character was due in large part to Isaac Hayes (the voice of Chef) leaving the show after South Park's take on Scientology in the popular episode "Trapped in the Closet." Being a Scientologist himself, Hayes did not see the humor in the (much needed) parody of the religion, but instead he decided to sever his ties with the show that he had worked with for just under ten seasons. Between the second parody of Scientology and the public butchering of Chef (as he was not only discredited, but also killed viciously), this episode showed us that Matt Stone and Trey Parker had no intentions of pulling any punches this season.

Comedy Central Cartman spoofs Buck Rogers in order to find the Nintendo Wii in "Go, God. Go! Parts 2 & 12."

Part of what made this season so great was the fact that the satire was so prevalent. Our favorite aspect of the show is its ability to parody any issue or story that may come up in the public eye, without a half-year or more wait. Unlike The Simpsons or Family Guy that take about six months to create an episode, South Park's animation is computer-generated, making it easier to rush the production of an episode to make sure Matt and Trey can still capitalize on the topics that are in the headlines. Only one of the stories this season was rushed to profit on timeliness, and that was "Go, God. Go! Part 2," which featured a plot with Cartman eagerly anticipating the new Nintendo console: the Wii. Airing November 1, the episode had perfect timing as much of the South Park audience was also waiting, like Cartman, for the console's launch on November 19th. In hindsight the episode is still very funny, but watching it when it aired worked off of a level of relevance that made it extremely humorous.

Even though "Go, God. Go! Part 2" was the only episode to feature satire on current affairs, the show seemed to make a concerted effort to make poignant satire over random vulgar comedy. Although there were episodes like "ManBearPig" and "Hell on Earth 2006" which seemed totally random, the bulk of the season was spent satirizing popular and controversial topics. Across the season we watched South Park satirize Scientology, hybrid cars, Family Guy, depictions of Mohammad, James Frey and A Million Little Pieces, The Dog Whisperer, World of Warcraft, 9/11 conspiracies, Dog the Bounty Hunter, teachers molesting their students (a la Debra LaFave), religious wars, atheism, the Nintendo Wii, and underdog sports movies (specifically, The Mighty Ducks). Putting news programs and documentary features aside, no other show on television has been daring enough to touch issues like Scientology and religion vs. atheism. The fact that the show challenged the network over having an image of Mohammed appear after the events that transpired in Denmark was really ballsy and quite respectable. Satire like that of the "Cartoon Wars" episodes really showed how far the creators were willing to take the show in order to deliver good satire.