Quest for Ratings
Encyclopedia
"Quest for Ratings" is the 122nd episode in the Comedy Central
series South Park
. Its original air date was November 17, 2004.
, Jimmy, Butters
, Kyle
, Token and Stan
are taping "Super School News", a newscast
airing on South Park Elementary's closed-circuit television
system. Cartman and Jimmy play the leading roles as head anchors
, Butters is the entertainment
/celebrity
reporter, Stan is a field reporter, Token is the meteorologist
, and Kyle does sport
s. However after their news program airs, their teacher Mr. Meryl tells them that they did horribly in the ratings, trailing far behind Craig's home video
show, "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens
", which they consider pointless and banal.
The news team then pledges to make a program that will be a ratings booster and gain the attention of all students. They rename the show "Sexy Action School News" and add flashy elements (in a parody of various infotainment
shows), including random "Panda Madness Minutes" in which the newscasters spontaneously dance with pandas
. However, nothing seems to work; although they beat Craig's original series, they fall behind his follow up "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens Wearing Hats". To get ideas, the boys decide to get high on cough medicine
. They begin to feel 'stoned', then see each other as monstrous grotesques (including Kyle having the head of a wolf and massive yellow eyes, and Cartman being a shapeless blob of fat). Prize-winning dogs on display, animated Mandelbrot designs, and tunnels of light with weird performance art displays at the end whirl through their brain and they stumble around town in a trance, getting higher and higher, conjuring up stop-motion animation images of bustling cities, blooming flowers, African dancers and imploding buildings before retiring to their room. Their notepads contain nothing useful (specifically, Cartman drew a circle and a squiggly line, and Kyle wrote down the lyrics to the Happy Days
theme). Then Stan realizes that the video they were watching all night and concluded was the 'greatest show ever' while under the influence of cough medicine was Craig's show. They realize that the entire school must be totally and completely high on cough medicine. They then decide to produce a special report that gets cough medicine banned from school.
Soon after, the ratings drop and Craig's show is cancelled, as the children are no longer high and therefore no longer enjoy the show. To emphasize the importance of good ratings, the AV teacher then suspends Craig from school and requests the removal
of his testicle
s. Satisfied with their results, the "Sexy Action School News" team discovers the curse of a successful show: each subsequent episode has to be just as good. Back in the writer's room, they come up with nothing and eventually decide to just bail.
, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's concurrent film, had just been through a long, grueling post-production and left the staff low on energy:
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. Its original air date was November 17, 2004.
Plot synopsis
Eric CartmanEric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
, Jimmy, Butters
Butters Stotch
Leopold "Butters" Stotch is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by series co-creator Matt Stone and loosely based on co-producer Eric Stough. He is a fourth-grade student who commonly has extraordinary experiences not typical of conventional small-town...
, Kyle
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
, Token and Stan
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
are taping "Super School News", a newscast
News broadcasting
News broadcasting is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network...
airing on South Park Elementary's closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
system. Cartman and Jimmy play the leading roles as head anchors
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
, Butters is the entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
/celebrity
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
reporter, Stan is a field reporter, Token is the meteorologist
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, and Kyle does sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s. However after their news program airs, their teacher Mr. Meryl tells them that they did horribly in the ratings, trailing far behind Craig's home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
show, "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens
Wide-angle lens
From a design perspective, a wide angle lens is one that projects a substantially larger image circle than would be typical for a standard design lens of the same focal length; this enables either large tilt & shift movements with a view camera, or lenses with wide fields of view.More informally,...
", which they consider pointless and banal.
The news team then pledges to make a program that will be a ratings booster and gain the attention of all students. They rename the show "Sexy Action School News" and add flashy elements (in a parody of various infotainment
Infotainment
Infotainment is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers." It is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of...
shows), including random "Panda Madness Minutes" in which the newscasters spontaneously dance with pandas
Giant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
. However, nothing seems to work; although they beat Craig's original series, they fall behind his follow up "Animals Close-Up With a Wide-Angle Lens Wearing Hats". To get ideas, the boys decide to get high on cough medicine
Non-medical use of dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan , an active ingredient found in many cough suppressant cold medicines, is commonly used as a recreational drug. It has almost no psychoactive effects at medically-recommended doses. Dextromethorphan has euphoric, psychedelic, and dissociative properties when administered in doses...
. They begin to feel 'stoned', then see each other as monstrous grotesques (including Kyle having the head of a wolf and massive yellow eyes, and Cartman being a shapeless blob of fat). Prize-winning dogs on display, animated Mandelbrot designs, and tunnels of light with weird performance art displays at the end whirl through their brain and they stumble around town in a trance, getting higher and higher, conjuring up stop-motion animation images of bustling cities, blooming flowers, African dancers and imploding buildings before retiring to their room. Their notepads contain nothing useful (specifically, Cartman drew a circle and a squiggly line, and Kyle wrote down the lyrics to the Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
theme). Then Stan realizes that the video they were watching all night and concluded was the 'greatest show ever' while under the influence of cough medicine was Craig's show. They realize that the entire school must be totally and completely high on cough medicine. They then decide to produce a special report that gets cough medicine banned from school.
Soon after, the ratings drop and Craig's show is cancelled, as the children are no longer high and therefore no longer enjoy the show. To emphasize the importance of good ratings, the AV teacher then suspends Craig from school and requests the removal
Inguinal orchiectomy
Inguinal orchiectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a testicle and the full spermatic cord through an incision in the abdomen. Orchiectomy is one form of castration. The procedure is generally performed by a urologist. Often it is performed as same-day surgery, with the patient returning home...
of his testicle
Testicle
The testicle is the male gonad in animals. Like the ovaries to which they are homologous, testes are components of both the reproductive system and the endocrine system...
s. Satisfied with their results, the "Sexy Action School News" team discovers the curse of a successful show: each subsequent episode has to be just as good. Back in the writer's room, they come up with nothing and eventually decide to just bail.
Production
With the recent release of season 8 on DVD, many of the mini commentaries revealed that much of the lack of ideas was because Team America: World PoliceTeam America: World Police
Team America: World Police, often referred to as simply Team America, is a 2004 action comedy film written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady and directed by Parker, all of whom are also known for the popular animated television series South Park...
, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's concurrent film, had just been through a long, grueling post-production and left the staff low on energy:
External links
- Quest for Ratings Full episode at South Park Studios
- Quest for Ratings Episode guide at South Park Studios