South Park first aired on Comedy Central in 1997. The animated series premiered on August 13, 1997, with the episode “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe,” introducing viewers to Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick.
The show was created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, whose earlier animated shorts, including “Jesus vs. Santa,” attracted attention and helped inspire the television series. Comedy Central picked up the project after Fox declined to develop it, and the network’s decision proved transformative: South Park quickly became one of its signature programs.
The first season ran from August 13, 1997, through February 25, 1998, and contained 13 episodes. A common mix-up is confusing the premiere year with the year the first season ended, or with the 1999 release of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The feature film arrived two years after the series began and did not mark the show’s debut.