It’s hard to believe that South Park is twenty years old!

And what better way to celebrate than a re-release of the series previous seasons on blu-ray from Paramount Pictures?

As I settled in to watch this show, for the first time in a very long time I was struck by a couple of things. The first was a sense of nostalgia because I recalled where I was when I saw some of these episodes, and who I was.

The second thing was that I didn’t realise that the first season was only composed of thirteen episodes. All of them are here in this new collection in an easily binge-able two disc set. You can go back to the very beginning of this cult phenomenon.

Watching the show, I was delighted in the humour! Sure sometimes it comes across as crude (which is a nice reflection of the construction paper animation style of the show), but underneath that crudity is a level of satire that is often missed.

It is also very obvious that the show is not for children. Despite that, viewers who aren’t necessarily ready for it are watching it.

The blu-ray looks great, with only the episode introductions with the series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone suffering from the transfer, the colours are bright and the images are sharp and clear – they look a damned sight better than they did when they were broadcast, or first released to home video.

Follow Stan, Kyle, Cartman and the constantly dying Kenny, as they navigate their strange Colorado town which is plagued by aliens, poor Halloween costume choices, a lusty school chef (voiced by Isaac Hayes), inappropriate cartoons, mecha-Streisand, a different kind of Thanksgiving and Xmas specials, has a Jesus and Pals talk show featuring the son of god, visits by the devil, and a vast array of characters (any of whom could be Carman’s father, but we’ll have to wait for a cliffhanger conclusion for that) who are the some of the most entertainingly politically incorrect creations to grace a television screen.

The two disc collection features a few extras, including a commentary by Parker and Stone as well as three short clips that were released just as the first season was finding its groove, it’s audience, and a healthy dose of notoriety.

South Park: The Complete First Season made me laugh, brought back a lot of memories, and let me catch some things I didn’t notice when I first saw these episodes. I will openly admit to enjoying the fact that I laughed my way through these episodes. There was a reason this series found its audience, you could enjoy the low brow humour on its surface level, or you could catch some of the more pointed remarks Stone and Parker were trying to make.

The series has aged well, and it’s definitely worth a revisit. Pick up the First Season on blu-ray, now available from Paramount Pictures, today!