Trey Parker Can't Stand South Park's Early Seasons (And His Reasoning Makes Sense)

It may be difficult to believe today, but "South Park" began as an animated short two college buddies put together for kicks (per CNN). That edgy little tale made up of paper cutouts led to Comedy Central debuting a full series in 1997. "South Park" is running to this day. The franchise remains so valuable that creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker signed a $900 million deal with ViacomCBS in August 2021, including deals for multiple features and seasons for the Colorado-set cartoon (via The Hollywood Reporter).

"South Park" has never sharpened its edges based on the culture, and they're always looking to satire whoever happens to have some power at the time, whether that be Al Gore or Donald Trump. The creators have experimented in some ways, at one point introducing adult versions of the central boys (Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny). They even made a theatrically-released feature all the way back in 1999 and found success through multiple video games.

With a library as massive as the one "South Park" has, though, there are bound to be some episodes the creators are not entirely satisfied with. According to Parker, there are actually multiple seasons he writes off as garbage, and his reasoning would likely be true for just about anyone in his position.

According to Trey Parker, the first three seasons of "South Park" are unwatchable to him, but his reason makes sense. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in March 2011, Parker said he and co-creator Matt Stone were simply different people in their 20s, trying to build careers and figure out their specific comedic styles. The changes that have occurred to the two over the years in their lives — primarily having families — ultimately changed their interests and matured them beyond the first "South Park" content. 

"First, we were friends f**king around, trying to get laid, breaking into Hollywood, sleeping on couches. Now Matt is married, and I've got a little family," Parker said. Another big difference, the creator added, is that there's no real pleasure in causing a stir or offending their audiences. Parker said he just wants people to laugh. 

Quality is still king though and that's why Parker claimed he would delete everything "South Park" before the show's fourth season if he could. "It's just embarrassing to watch. OK, we were, like, 26, 27. But it's like, 'Really?' We thought that was funny? We thought that was well-written? Oh my God, this is terrible," Parker said.