This episode satirized celebrity culture, Oprah, and infomercials. Mr. Garrison (voice: Trey Parker) falls in love with a gun. Kathie Lee Gifford gets assassinated (off-screen). It set the tone: No celebrity is safe.
It is raw, juvenile, offensive, and occasionally brilliant. It is the sound of two college kids from Colorado proving that if you are funny enough, you can get away with anything. South Park - Season 1
It is hard to describe the precise feeling of watching the pilot episode of South Park air on August 13, 1997, if you weren’t there. To understand the impact, you have to remember the media landscape of the late 90s. Kathie Lee Gifford gets assassinated (off-screen)
Is it the best season of South Park ? No. That’s probably Seasons 4-8. Is it the most important ? Absolutely. It is the sound of two college kids
Season 1 succeeded because it didn't care about your feelings. It made fun of the left, the right, the rich, the poor, the disabled, the able-bodied, Christians, Jews, Atheists, and even the network airing it. It was the first show to truly weaponize "equal opportunity offense" as an art form.
And it’s perfect.