South Park: Joining the Panderverse Review Roundup

With South Park: Joining the Panderverse available to watch now on Paramount+, reviewers have weighed in, and verdicts run the gamut from on-point parody to political dead fish.

In this extra-long, 49-minute episode of the animated sitcom from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Cartman’s having dreams in which his friends are being replaced. Meanwhile, Randy Marsh is grappling with AI services that threaten to make him redundant. Here’s what reviewers have to say about it.

South Park: Joining the Panderverse Review Roundup

Cracked: In proper South Park fashion, Parker and Stone don’t let anyone fully off the hook in their critiques of a complex issue, but, once again, their signature centrism tends to flatten nuance for the sake of a satisfying conclusion that makes the fence-sitters feel smart.

Forbes: All told, not the funniest South Park has ever been, but a very on-point parody of the stupid culture war stuff going on right now. And I’m happy to watch anything that takes shots at the ridiculous overuse of the multiverse.

Den of Geek: As consistently funny as it is, Joining the Panderverse is a stalemate in commentary. Despite some strong satire on anti-woke culture and multiverse trends, its central conversation on “projective inclusion in Disney movies” arrives outdated and unfashioned, especially not enough to hold down a near-hour special.

Geeks and Gamers: The jokes almost all land, the escalation of each topic happens both naturally and ridiculously, and on a personal level, it’s gratifying to have people like Trey and Matt tell you through their art that you’re not crazy.

The Review Geek: While there are better specials in the South Park repertoire, this is a great episode. Whether you’re a keen fan that watches everything South Park puts out, or someone who dips in and out, Panderverse is accessible to everyone without “pandering” to a specific audience. It’s a hilarious and scathing satire, well worth its weight in gold.

See how South Park: Joining the Panderverse stacks up to another political commentary in our Pain Hustlers Review Roundup.