A hacker is rife with messages in a gossip Web site called "The Spy South Park Elementary."
Parker and Stone, who met in college, he developed the program in two animated shorts he created in 1992 and 1995. The latter became one of the first viral internet videos, which ultimately led to its production as a series. South Park debuted in August 1997 with great success, steadily gaining the highest ratings of any basic cable program. Subsequent ratings have varied, but the show remains the highest on Comedy Central, a program that runs most valued y. Originally produced by the cutout animation, each episode is created with software that emulates the distinctive style of the series. The episodes are usually written and produced during the week prior to its dissemination, with most of the shows it was written, directed and acted by Parker and Stone. After a couple of seasons, Parker became the only director credited, and the only writer of most of the last four seasons. As of 2011 [update], a total of 217 episodes have aired fifteen seasons of the series. Parker and Stone are under contract to produce 14 new episodes in 2011. The fifteenth season opened on April 27, 2011.