I won’t be able to watch Wednesday’s episode of South Park right when it airs, but since it will be airing the day after the end of one of the most heated presidential races our country has ever seen, we can only hope that the episode will make fun of whatever the result is, while keeping to the excellent season-long arc about social media, trolling, nostalgia, and politics.
This is where Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s style of episode production will be put to the ultimate test; from the moment the election is decided to the moment on Wednesday when the episode is supposed to air, South Park Studios will be a whirlwind of activity, scrambling and working to make the funniest social commentary possible. In recent years, it’s been no secret that the co-creators of South Park have a quick turnaround for each episode, managing to draw from each week’s current events from all areas of popular culture. There was even one time in a recent season when they finished an episode within an hour of its scheduled airing.
However, a sneak peek of the episode may indicate that Parker and Stone are preparing for one outcome more than the other. In the short clip, P.C. Principal talks to the students at South Park Elementary about how trolling, social media, and “locker room talk” has torn the school apart, but that he is hopeful for the future thanks to a newly-elected leader. He then proceeds to introduce Bill Clinton as the preview cuts off.
I’ll be honest, it is very likely that this preview is just a misdirect to give them wiggle room depending on the outcome of the election. They might have two episodes written and produced; one for if Clinton wins, the other if Trump wins, and they’ll air the appropriate half hour of comedy when the time comes. Depending on whether they want to follow the chronology of real life or deviate for the sake of comedy, they might have Mr. Garrison (who stands in for Donald Trump) win the election in the South Park universe, or they might drag out the South Park version of the election a little longer to last until the end of the season. Either choice will result in hilarious and biting political commentary that will surely continue this great season that South Park has enjoyed this year.
See the preview for this week’s episode here:
South Park preview clip for “The Very First Gentleman”
*Update, November 9th, 2016, 10:15am: In light of last night’s election results, tonight’s episode of South Park has been retitled “Oh, Jeez.” Watch a preview for that episode here: South Park sneak peek: “Oh, Jeez”*