South Park Season 27 Has A Major Cartman Problem Due To This 23-Year Streak

Although South Park has come to rely on Cartman as the show’s de facto villain over the years, season 27 can’t afford to continue this tired approach. When South Park originally debuted in 1997, the chaotic animated comedy didn’t have a clear villain. South Park’s wild early seasons were so focused on gory gross-out violence, silly random humor, and shock value that the episodes had little time for character development. However, this changed when South Park abandoned its original premise and started to focus on political and social satire in season 4. Soon, Cartman came into focus.

Early on, Cartman was simply the most obnoxious member of South Park’s central quartet. However, as the show entered its fifth season, he became an outright villainous figure. Season 5, episode 4, “Scott Tenorman Must Die,” featured an infamous plot wherein Cartman ground a bully’s parents into a chill and fed them to him in a disturbing parody of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus. South Park’s Cartman villain turn was never fully reversed after this disquieting outing, but his antics gradually became more predictable as the series progressed. As such, the upcoming South Park season 27 must change his familiar character.

Cartman Can’t Be South Park Season 27’s Villain

Cartman has been South Park’s primary antagonist for too long

Cartman can’t continue to be South Park’s main villain in season 27, as the character has occupied this role for far too long. Throughout the 22 seasons and 6 feature-length specials that have aired since “Scott Tenorman Must Die” back in season 5, Cartman has been a reliably odious figure. He put his long term girlfriend Heidi through an abusive relationship, took advantage of addicted mothers, was partially responsible for Kenny’s temporary death, and teamed up with Cthulu himself in one outing. Despite this, it is his unexpected heroic moments that allow Cartman to truly shine as a character.

In recent years, Cartman has enjoyed some surprisingly sweet storylines that work precisely because they subvert his existing persona. This trend began with 2021’s two-part South Park special “Post-COVID,” wherein Cartman’s future self is revealed to be a selfless family man. This jarring revelation set up Cartman’s character change in the show’s ensuing seasons as the antihero gradually grew more of a conscience despite sometimes backsliding into unfettered hubris and greed. As a result, South Park season 27 should lean into Cartman’s heroic side instead of his villainy after these successful experiments proved such a plot can work.

Cartman’s Heroic Moments Make His Story Stronger

Season 26 and 2023’s specials benefited from Cartman’s heroic side

While “Heroic” is undoubtedly a relative term in the morally murky world of South Park, Cartman has still proven himself to be much less villainous in recent outings. He helped Kathleen Kennedy solve the multiverse rift in 2023’s first special, “Joining the Panderverse,” saved Cupid Ye in the season 26 premiere, and even helped out Craig in 2023’s second special, “Not Suitable For Children.” While South Park season 27 will likely center politics since the 2024 election is coming up, the outing will also focus on Cartman, Stan, Butters, Kyle, and Kenny. As such, the show can continue this trend.

The reason that Cartman’s unexpected moments of decency work so well is because they clash with his character. When Cartman explained his villainous plan in “Scott Tenorman Must Die,” the revelation came as a genuine shock to viewers who had previously seen Cartman as little more than a whiny, easily annoyed child. By the same token, viewers who know Cartman are always taken aback when he does something kind or selfless, since he is an experienced schemer capable of incredible cruelty. It is tough to discern his real motivations, making these storylines more unpredictable and enjoyable thanks to Cartman’s duplicity.

Cartman’s One-Note Villainy Makes South Park’s Plots Too Predictable

Cartman’s antics are now rarely shocking

Ever since “Scott Tenorman Must Die” set the bar for Cartman’s villainy so high, South Park has struggled to outdo Cartman’s most infamous act. One episode that focused on the death of South Park’s Kenny came close with Cartman committing some truly heinous acts during its subplot, but this arrived shortly after the season 5 outing. In the years since, Cartman’s villainy has only grown more predictable and the stakes of his schemes have accordingly needed to get higher and higher. This ironically means the show does not have much in the way of stakes, as Cartman is overpowered.

This explains his recent string of comparatively heroic moments, since Cartman needed a change to make his character interesting again. Nowhere is this more obvious than in season 25, episode 3, “City People,” wherein Cartman gets a job as an estate agent solely so he can sabotage his mother’s bid for independence. Cartman becomes extraordinarily successful almost overnight and eventually ends up causing a violent night that costs numerous lives, only to face no repercussions for this zany scheme. By the episode’s ending, he is back where he started. This stale storytelling leaves a lot to be desired, resulting in Cartman’s heroic turn.

South Park Season 27 Needs A New Villain

The long-running series has some solid candidates

If South Park season 27 does stop treating Cartman as its villain, the show needs a new antagonist. South Park’s version of Donald Trump, the foul-mouthed Mr. Garrison, could fit the bill since he is an existing character who may soon become relevant again as the 2024 election nears. Alternatively, Randy Marsh could work as a more villainous figure. The series has not been sure how to use Randy ever since “The Streaming Wars Part II” promised to make him a normal suburban father again, but didn’t follow through on this. An antagonistic role might be an improvement.

Regardless of who ends up playing South Park’s next villain, it is clear that one of the show’s main characters is overdue for a change. South Park has teased a more heroic version of Cartman throughout the seasons that followed the “Post-COVID Saga,” but the series hasn’t committed to changing Cartman’s persona outright. This is one of the few ways that the long-running show could truly upend its formula, changing the core of the series as it enters its twenty-seventh year. As such, South Park season 27 needs to finally make Cartman a good kid and see how this twist impacts the rest of the surrounding characters that populate its universe.