Now that both South Park and The Simpsons have aired their 24 parody, it's time to weigh in who was more successful.
Last Sunday, The Simpsons aired two new episodes, the latter being the season finale and 400th episode. Congratulations is in order for the writers and executive producers, not to mention voice actors for not committing suicide.
The 399th episode though, was the show's take on 24. Being that both shows air on FOX, suspicion over a tie-in between the shows is easily founded. Thankfully Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brian don't take up more than 45 seconds of screen time as they really don't mean anything to the plot.
Forgive me for this, but the show is more of a pastiche than parody. A pastiche is a literary, musical, or artistic piece consisting wholly or chiefly of motifs or techniques borrowed from one or more sources. From Dictionary.com.
The episode revolves around a stink bomb attack, and overall takes itself seriously. It doesn't get ridiculous, but just takes the themes of terrorist attacking the country and places them into bullies pranking the school.
South Park, on the other hand, shows The Simpsons how a parody is done, showing the total ridiculousness of 24. The show doesn't reveal itself as a 24 parody immediately, plays into every stereotype, and makes one realize how ridiculous 24 actually is. And this is coming from a fan of The Simpsons and 24.
There you have it, South Park takes it by a landslide. If you'd like to be your own judge, there are many ways to see the episodes, but here's a start.The Simpsons: 24 Minutes
South Park: The Snuke.
