South Park creators Trey Parker (left) and Matt Stone (right) in 2007

South Park is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone (pictured in 2007) for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics. The ongoing narrative revolves around four children—Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick—and their bizarre adventures in and around the fictional and titular Colorado town. Parker and Stone developed the show from two animated shorts they created in 1992 and 1995. South Park debuted on August 13, 1997 with great success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program. A total of 267 episodes have been broadcast throughout its run. Following the early success of the series, the feature length musical film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut had a widespread theatrical release in June 1999. South Park has also received numerous media awards, including four Primetime Emmy Awards. The show has also garnered a Peabody Award for Comedy Central.