South Park: Death

"Death" is the sixth episode in the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 17, 1997. In the episode, Grandpa Marvin tries to convince Stan to kill him, while the parents of South Park protest the foul-mouthed cartoon Terrance and Phillip. Death himself arrives to kill Kenny, and presents a warning to Grandpa Marvin against forcing others to help him commit suicide. "Death" was written and directed by series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The episode, along with the Terrance and Phillip show, were inspired by early criticism that South Park was little more than flatulence jokes and primitive animation. The script portrays the parents as so invested in protesting television programs, they fail to pay any attention to what is actually going on in their children's lives. They seem to want to make television clean and wholesome so the entertainment industry can raise their kids so they themselves don't have to make the time and effort to be full-time parents. The episode also advocates against censorship and addresses the morality and ethics of euthanasia. "Death" was the last of the original six South Park episodes ordered by Comedy Central before the network committed to a full season. The episode's plot heavily influenced the screenplay of the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which also involves South Park parents protesting Terrance and Phillip. In addition to Terrance and Phillip, the episode introduced recurring characters Grandpa Marsh and Sheila (then known as Carol), Kyle's mother.