You're Getting Old

"You're Getting Old" is the seventh episode of the fifteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 216th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 8, 2011. In the episode, Stan begins to develop a profound sense of cynicism after celebrating his tenth birthday, where he is literally seeing everything as "shit". Meanwhile, Randy latches onto a new music genre, "tween wave", in an attempt to fit in, which causes problems in his marriage with Sharon. The episode was written by series co-creator Trey Parker and was produced at the end of the show's "spring" run. He and co-creator Matt Stone had created the idea of Stan's existential crisis as a parallel with their own real-life aging. "You're Getting Old" ends abruptly; Stan's parents separate and his problem remains unresolved. The conclusion was inspired by modern television dramas, which are often serialized and are less likely to have the standard "happy ending". The episode created significant media attention, and was interpreted by some critics as a metaphor for the frustration experienced by creators Parker and Stone stemming from the show's continued production; other critics, and several viewers, speculated on whether the episode was meant as a series finale. The episode received very positive reviews from contemporaneous television-critics, who praised the episode's ending and overarching theme on growing older. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by 2.29 million viewers the week it was broadcast. The episode's ending is continued in the mid-season premiere, "Ass Burgers", which aired in October 2011. "You're Getting Old" was released on DVD and Blu-ray along with the rest of the fifteenth season on March 27, 2012.