'South Park' S29 premieres with new song and Trump cameo
What's the story
The long-running animated series South Park, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, has returned for its 29th season with a new title: South America. The change is a humorous response to US President Donald Trump's recent moves to rename the likes of Lake Ontario as Lake America, New Mexico as New America, and the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America. The first episode of this season, titled South American Biker Gangs, was released on Wednesday night.
Episode details
What happened in the Season 29 premiere
The premiere episode of South America introduced viewers to the renamed town with a new theme song.
The storyline revolved around the beloved characters, Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny, who have developed an obsession with e-bikes.
However, their enthusiasm sparks a conflict with the parents of South America who form their own biker gang in response.
As is tradition, Kenny meets an untimely death when his e-bike explodes, prompting the town to outlaw e-bikes and sell "South America Strong" T-shirts.
Political jab
Makers' jab at Trump
Earlier this month, ahead of the Season 29 premiere, Parker and Stone announced that the long-running comedy series would be known as South America.
This was a comedic jab at Trump's recent moves to rename places.
In a statement, they said, "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of 'South Park' to 'South America.'" Apple and Google had complied by changing the names in their Maps apps for US-based users.
Ongoing satire
'South America's tradition of political satire
The name change and the premiere episode are part of South America's ongoing tradition of political satire.
The show has previously tackled various political issues, including JD Vance's "seduction" of Trump to avoid punishment for attempting to kill his unborn child with Satan and Pete Hegseth's attempts to free Peter Thiel from jail.
In the S29 opener, Trump briefly appeared, but in the theme song, he seemed to be using a US flag as a towel.