AlthoughSouth Park’s most recent experiment with live-action storytelling wasn’t a complete catastrophe, it did prove that the show shouldn’t rely on the medium anytime soon. WhileSouth Parkseason 27hasn’t arrived yet, there is no reason to think that the outing will change the show’s format completely. In recent years,South Parkhas released brief, six-episode seasons alongside two annual feature-length specials instead of the show’s typical 10-episode seasons. However, the show has scarcely experimented with new formats or styles during this time. This could be due to focusing on the video gameSouth Park: Snow Day.
Although an AI-generated fan trailer featuring a live-action interpretaton ofSouth Park’s heroes recently went viral, the show itself should avoid this particular experiment. Some ofSouth Park’s riskiest and most controversial episodesstrayed from its usual formula, whether by focusing on minor supporting characters or retelling a work of classic literature. However, a live-action version ofSouth Parkwould be a step too far, and this was proven by a widely derided episode of the series that has largely been forgotten since its release. Years before that uncanny AI fan trailer, there was a live-actionSouth Parkepisode.
South Park Season 27 Needs To End A 5-Year Series Trend To Fix A Major Recurring Problem
South Park season 27 needs to end one recent series trend if the series hopes to regain its early critical acclaim, despite how difficult this may be.
South Park Season 16 Episode 6 Received Mixed Reviews And Fan Hate
“I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” Is Often Listed Among South Park’s Worst Outings
Season 16, episode 6, “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining,” is often considered one of theSouth Park’s worst episodesaccording to online polls and threads. This might come as something of a surprise, since the episode doesn’t share any of the flaws that marSouth Park’s most regrettable outings. Season 23, episode 7, “Board Girls,” is an unfunny, transphobic catastrophe that earned a lot of criticism, while season 10, episode 6, “ManBearPig,” sawSouth Parkdismiss global warming as a delusional hoax. These episodes are often highlighted as low points for the show thanks to content, not form.
In contrast, “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” earned the ire of fans and reviewers alike thanks to its strange format. A parody ofI Shouldn’t Be Alive, “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” chronicles a disastrous ziplining excursion taken by Stan, Kenny, Kyle, and Cartman during Spring Break. While the central gang’s antics are the focus ofsome of South Park’s best episodes, this outing’s decision to utilize bizarre live-action sequences left viewers and critics cold. The live-action segments are framed as “Re-enactments” fromSouth Park’s parody ofI Shouldn’t Be Alive, but they felt awkward and poorly integrated.
South Park’s Live-Action Segments Prove Its Humor Doesn’t Translate
South Park Needs Animation For Its Absurd Humor To Thrive
While the stars of the episode put in solid performances,South Park’s live-action sequences failed to recapture the surreal tone of the series. Most of the scene’s humor came from just how boring the kids found the ziplining trip, which could have been a clever parody of the overly dramatic formula ofI Shouldn’t Be Aliveepisodes. However, the live-action sequences didn’t gel withSouth Park’s heightened reality, feeling out of place and strange when placed side by side. The deadpan performances of human actors felt discordant in comparison with the frantic exaggeration of their animated counterparts.
Not all of South Park’s parodies work, but the live-action format was the primary problem with this episode’s story.
Meanwhile, immature gags that work well in cartoons failed to find purchase in live-action. In particular, a running joke about Cartman’s intolerable flatulence worked fine during the episode’s animated scenes but felt forced and unfunny during the live-action segments. Notall ofSouth Park’s parodieswork, but the live-action format was the primary problem with this episode’s story. Everything else about the plot, from the group’s boredom being portrayed as a life-or-death problem to the goofy toilet humor, was successful outside the live-action interludes.
South Park’s Offensive Content Makes A Live-Action Adaption Impossible
South Park’s Shock Humor Makes It Unsuitable For Younger Stars
The primary problem with the episode’s live-action segments is thatSouth Parkcan’t work in live-action due to its explicit content. The main characters are ostensibly small children and everything from their foul-mouthed swearing to Cartman’s amoral evil flies in the face of what viewers expect from child characters. However, this comedic impact is lost when they are portrayed by older actors. Even the live-action segments of “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” cast the 8-year-old characters with teenage actors, since the filthy humor of the show is inappropriate for actual child actors.
Seeing real children swear and engage in the age-inappropriate antics of Cartman and company would be unsettling.
This is the main reason thata live-actionSouth Parkwould never work, since the show’s young characters can’t be portrayed by actors who share their age. Seeing real children swear and engage in the age-inappropriate antics of Cartman and company would be unsettling, but seeing older actors play the children ruinsSouth Park’s subversive streak. Without this vital element of the show’s formula to fall back on,South Park’s live-action episode failed to resonate with viewers.
South Park: The End of Obesitywas released on July 31, 2025, andSouth Parkseason 27’s release date hasn’t been revealed as of July 08, 2025.
