Death (South Park)

"Death" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on September 17, 1997. In the episode, Grandpa Marvin tries to convince Stan to kill him, while the parents of South Park protest the crude cartoon Terrance and Phillip. Death himself arrives to kill Kenny, and presents a warning to Grandpa Marvin against forcing others to help him commit suicide.

"Death" was written by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and directed by Stone on his first solo directorial work for an episode in the show. The episode, along with the Terrance and Phillip show, were inspired by early criticism that South Park was little more than flatulence jokes and primitive animation. The episode portrays the parents as being so invested in protesting television programs that they fail to pay any attention to what is going on in their children's lives. They want to make television clean and wholesome so the entertainment industry can raise their kids, while they themselves do not have to make the time and effort to be full-time parents. The episode also advocates against censorship and addresses the morality and ethics of euthanasia.

"Death" was the last of the original six South Park episodes ordered by Comedy Central before the network committed to a full season. The episode's plot heavily influenced the screenplay of the 1999 feature film adaptation South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, which also involves the parents of South Park protesting Terrance and Phillip. In addition to Terrance and Phillip, the episode introduced recurring characters Grandpa Marsh and Sheila (then known as Carol), Kyle's mother.