| South Park | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
 Home media release cover | |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Comedy Central |
| Original release | April 7, 1999 – January 12, 2000 |
| Season chronology | |
The third season of South Park, an American animated television comedy series, aired on Comedy Central from April 7, 1999, to January 12, 2000.[1] The season was headed by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who also served as executive producers along with Anne Garefino. The season continued to focus on the exploits of protagonists Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny in the fictional Colorado mountain town of South Park.
The season consisted of seventeen 22-minute episodes, which aired mostly in two groups separated by a three-month gap. Continuing their practice from previous seasons, Parker and Stone wrote and produced each episode within the week before its broadcast date. They produced the first half of the season simultaneously while working on the show's film adaption, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The show's creators considered the third season an improvement on the previous season, due to a heavier focus on strong storytelling structure and character development, as well as increased creative control. In the second half of the season, the show was dealt a heavy blow with the death of voice actress Mary Kay Bergman, who provided many of the female voices on the show. The remaining three episodes in the season are mostly absent of female voices for this reason.
The third season satirized such topics as the Waco siege, tropical rainforest conservation, and sexual harassment, films such as Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Tron, and Gettysburg, and television shows such as Scooby-Doo and Pokémon. It also continues the show's tradition of lampooning celebrities, which in this season include Cher, Pat Robertson, and Rod Stewart. The season features a guest appearance from both the nu metal band Korn and Friends actress Jennifer Aniston.
- ^ "South Park: Episode Guide: Season 3". Zap2it. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2012.