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Here's a look at Saturday Night Live UK host James Norton and the SNL UK cast checking in from the table read for this weekend's show.
Posted in: Comedy Central, Review, TV | Tagged: south park
South Park S29E01: "South American Biker Gangs": God, I Hate Randy
For the Season 29 opener, South Park shifted the metaphorical focus from Trump to the damaging impact he's had on small communities.
You just won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program. You're South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. What's the next thing you do? "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of 'South Park' to 'South America.' We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount – a Skydance Capitulation." Yup, you change the name of your long-running, highly successful, and award-winning animated series as a "F**k You" to the corporations that took a knee and made changes to "Gulf of Mexico" and "Lake Ontario" because Trump was having a pissy fit. So, what does S29E01: "South American Biker Gangs" have in store? We know that it involves e-bikes, but we can't shake the feeling that a whole lot was being held back. With that in mind, here's a look at our real-time thoughts:
South Park S29E01: "South American Biker Gangs" Real-Time Thoughts
Yeah, they're not fucking around. Even the opening theme was changed to "South America."
Cartman faking being bullied means that he's got some kind of shit planned. Yup, he wants a bicycle.
Oh, yeah. When you think of someone being respectful of the rules of the road, how could you not think of Cartman?
Oh, Christ! Randy's got a hard-on against e-bikes. I'm going to assume that he's going to go over the top about it. Yup, he compared e-bikes to slavery. This isn't going to go well…
And now, we've got Stan, Kyle, and Kenny looking to go the Chinese knock-off route to get e-bikes, too.
You know, the show is making a good point. Why the fuck do we let kids use machines that can go that fast without a license?
So, it's the drivers vs. the bikers vs. the e-bikers? Oh, god…
Det. Harris can't change the laws – despite Randy's Google-inspired bribe of money and cigars – but he has high hopes that the country will get better when November comes – when Grand Theft Auto VI comes out. Nice.
In case you haven't noticed it yet, Randy's bike club and their efforts to change the laws for the betterment of South America are a ten-ton allegory to what we've been seeing from right-wing groups in communities across the country.
Extra points to the reporter for that dig about the resident being outraged about e-bikes but not about the name of the town being changed. Feel free to substitute any number of religious, ethnic, and other demographic groups that have been made scapegoat-villains by Trump for e-bikes.
While Randy and his old dudes are committing a hate crime (a disturbing moment) against Mr. Kim, we're learning why the kids are loving the e-bikes so much: a sense of freedom and independence that doesn't leave them hooked to their phones. It's heartbreaking that Stan believes his dad would change his mind if he knew what e-bikes meant to Stan. That's just not the case.
Cartman, aka "El Gordo," is claiming to be the leader of a "vicious South American biker gang" that doesn't exist. Of course.
A masked Kenny tries to broker a peace deal with the old bikers – only to be taken down for his efforts. Blown up, to be precise.
Randy realizes that it was Kenny who was killed – and yet, he still uses Kenny's death to get e-bikes banned. Because as the song says, "South America" won't change for anyone – no matter who suffers. That was a sobering episode that some folks might write off for not having Trump in it – but the damage that Trump has done to this country was all over this episode.
SUMMARY: While Donald Trump was MIA on screen for tonight's Season 29 opener, the serious and lasting damage he's done to communities across the country radiates throughout Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park Season 29 Episode 1: "South American Biker Gangs." It's clear that the e-bike riders were a ten-ton metaphor to any number of groups used as scapegoats, but it was the heartbreak and somber moments blended throughout the absurdity that really stood out. Oh, and we really, really hate Randy.
Cartman terrorizes his friends and the entire town of South America with his new e-bike. pic.twitter.com/cNWlZ2Ophr
— South America (@SouthPark) September 17, 2026
South Park Honored by The Television Academy, Emmy Awards
Earlier this month, "Sermon on the Mount" took home Emmy Awards hardware with a win as Outstanding Animated Program. To say it was a tough field would be an understatement, with the long-running animated series taking on FOX's Bob's Burgers, Adult Swim's Rick and Morty, FOX's The Simpsons, Adult Swim's Smiling Friends, and Disney+'s Star Wars: Visions.
Now, we're getting a chance to check out what Parker had to share while accepting the award. As the team took the stage, Parker thanked them for their commitment to the show. In addition, Parker thanked the Television Academy for continuing to produce television and the fans for ensuring the show wasn't canceled during its 30-year run. Here's a look at what the show's co-creator had to share:
With the show returning the following month, Parker and Stone not only celebrated the long-running animated series's 29th birthday on August 14th, but they were also honored as part of this year's Television Academy Hall of Fame class. Emmy Award-winning comedy icon Bill Hader introduced the award, offering a great "fish dick" anecdote as some insight into his time as a writer on the show. "People say, 'You wrote on the show!' But, I didn't. I got paid to laugh and watch all these writers and learn from them, and how to tell a story. I would not have been able truly to run my own show without watching these guys. That's where I learned everything," Hader shared.
Referring to the personal costs that come with keeping South Park going, Stone thanked his family, "because I've missed a few birthdays. And also, we got the occasional fatwa and security situations." As for what continues to motivate them season after season, it's all about deadlines. "Trey and I would never have gotten a single episode of television or episode of 'South Park' on television without a deadline. And that, for me, is what television is about. Something going on the air," Stone added. Along with Parker and Stone, the Television Academy also honored documentarian icon Sheila Nevins, 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley, actor Ted Danson, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, and Hacks star Jean Smart.
South Park Season 29 Episode 1: "South American Biker Gangs"
9/10
While Donald Trump was MIA on screen for tonight's Season 29 opener, the deep and lasting damage he's done to communities across the country radiates throughout Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park Season 29 Episode 1: "South American Biker Gangs." It's clear that the e-bike riders were a ten-ton metaphor to any number of groups used as scapegoats, but it was the heartbreak and somber moments blended throughout the absurdity that really stood out. Oh, and we really, really hate Randy.
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