With its ‘no prisoners’ approach to script writing, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were always going to attract major attention in their fifth series, which was partially created in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks.

The first half of the series had already stirred up the hornets’ nest when it came to its objectors. Season sophomore show It Hits The Fan angered some with its liberal and uncensored use of the word ‘shit’ – in total, the word ‘shit’ was used (and tallied in the bottom corner of the screen) 162 separate times in various forms.

Funnily enough, executives at Comedy Central were to bleep out usage of the word ‘shit’ if it appeared only a few times. When Trey and Matt said that they would use ‘shit’ without limit, the channel changed their minds and allowed the shit-laden episode to go out without limit.

Going on to feature fights between handicapped children (Cripple Fight), stopping David Blaine from taking over the world (Super Best Friends), re-uniting a washed-out Terrance and Phillip (Terrance and Phillip: Behind The Blow) before Cartman buys a theme park with an inherited $1million and makes Kyle renounce his faith is all part of the hilarity of the fifth series.

Episode four of the series, entitled Scott Tenorman Must Die, sees Cartman continually try to take revenge over an older boy who constantly woodwinks him, until he finally gets even in the most vicious way possible. In one poll, it was named as Cartman’s greatest moment, whilst a Comedy Central poll has it at the 8th best episode, ever - whether Radiohead guest starring helped or not is up to you.

The controversy continued as the Parents Television Council has used Proper Condom Use as an example of violence, sex and profanity in one of its studies, after the episode focuses around the children’s new obsession of masturbating their dogs, which they think is innocent milk.

The teachers are forced to teach sex education to even younger children, even though they’re totally hopeless at it, which leads to an all out gender war. The first part of the series came to its close with Towelie, that features a pot-smoking towel that helps to largely take the piss out of action films and Alien 4, as well as the mass commercialisation of Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman in the real world.

During the mid-season break, terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center. A month after the invasion of Afghanistan had begun, South Park returned, and the aftermath of terrorism was affecting Colorado.

After the children are accidentally being sent to Afghanistan to return a goat sent by their Afghan counterparts, Cartman finds himself being hunted by Osama Bin Laden, before providing a humble tribute at the finale.

This serious side continued, as Kenny actually died permanently during one of the final episodes of the series (Kenny Dies), sparking uproar as some fans said the creators had killed South Park by making it far too serious and introverted. Regardless of this, there is no denying that Matt and Trey can create poignant just as well as funny.
 
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, as How To Eat With Your Butt provided schoolboy toilet humour with a family with a bum for a face, and Here Comes The Neighbourhood allowing Token the chance to take centre stage by inviting a host of rich, black celebrities to South Park to live, before having a massive pop at racists everywhere with their casual undertones.

Leaving on the incredibly dark and twisted story behind Butters’ family – as well as targeting high profile American figureheads as liars – the series had successfully navigated the political minefields of the current climate and shown that there was more here than swear words and fart jokes. If you needed to look at a series where South Park really showed its quality, then start here.