South Park

Premise Setting and characters The boys live in the fictional small town of South Park, located within the real-life South Park basin in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado , approximately a one-hour drive from Denver . The town is also home to an assortment of other characters, including students , families , elementary school staff , and other various residents . Prominent settings include South Park Elementary, various neighborhoods and the surrounding mountain range, actual Colorado landmarks, and the businesses along the town's main street, all of which are based on the appearance of similar locations in Fairplay, Colorado . As one of the few television programs set in the Mountain West region that takes place outside the urban core of Denver, South Park frequently features the unique culture of the region, including cattle ranchers, Old West theme parks, snowy climates, mountaineering, Mormons , real-life Colorado locations such as Casa Bonita and Cave of the Winds , and many other regionally specific characteristics.

Stan is portrayed as an average American boy; however, he has many mishaps throughout the series. In the first 22 seasons, Stan lived in South Park, but in the episodes during and after season 22 , Stan resided in Tegridy Farms. Kyle is Jewish , and his portrayal as one of the few such people in South Park is often satirized. Stan is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone.

They are best friends, and their friendship, symbolically intended to reflect Parker and Stone's friendship, is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman (as he is commonly referred to) is amoral and increasingly psychopathic , and is commonly portrayed as an antagonist . His staunch antisemitism has resulted in a progressive rivalry with Kyle. Kenny, who comes from a poor family, tightly wears his parka hood to the point where it obscures most of his face and muffles his speech.

During the first five seasons, Kenny died in almost every episode, only to reappear in the next with no clear explanation. He was killed off in the fifth season episode " Kenny Dies ", before being reintroduced in the sixth season finale, " Red Sleigh Down ". Since then, Kenny has been depicted as dying sporadically. The children were in third grade for the first three seasons and have been in fourth grade since the show's fourth season .

Plots are often set in motion by events, ranging from the fairly typical to the supernatural and extraordinary, which frequently happen in the town. The boys often act as the voice of reason when these events cause panic or incongruous behavior among the adult populace, who are customarily depicted as irrational, gullible, and prone to overreaction. They are frequently confused by the contradictory and hypocritical behavior of their parents and other adults, and often perceive them as having distorted views on morality and society.