>>1087>I'd kill for a few more slightly more serious Kyle/Cartman moments.Me, too. Like you said, their dynamic (even without the shipping goggles) is easily one of the most entertaining parts of the show. I know it's a little silly for me to be talking about character depth in South Park, but I also think they have more depth to them, which means that there's more to explore in regard to their relationship (not even talking about shipping- I just mean in regard to how they normally interact). They don't feel as one-note as Randy or something because there is such a diversity to the interactions we've seen between them and the roles they take in particular episodes. I can think of episodes where Cartman brings out the worst in Kyle, where Kyle fucks up because of his pride, where the two actually get along to work toward a common goal, where Kyle's the more reasonable one, etc. Yet, all of these episodes make sense because they're not entirely flat characters. Their episodes together work SO WELL because they have the right amount of balance for each other; they have enough similarities, but also contrast, that it doesn't get tiresome. There's basically a built-in conflict when Cartman and Kyle are the center of a particular episode, so it makes no sense not to capitalize on that.
>Adults like Jimbo, Liane, Stan's grandpa, ect can all carry episodes just fine if they are insisting on focusing on the older characters.I'll never understand why Randy became the default adult when I never found him especially likable in the first place. I used to think he was okay, but he's just so grating and one-note that I can't tolerate him anymore. So many of the other adults are so much more entertaining, and don't get as much attention as they used to. A lot of episodes I love (Toilet Paper, Chickenlover, Volcano, Cartmanland, Le Petite Tourette… I could go on) didn't feature Randy much at all, and had other adults in prominent roles. Officer Barbrady is my favorite adult from the show, and we all know how relevant he's been as of late lol. I'm also partial to Jimbo, Mr. Mackey, and Kenny's parents, and they have so much potential for more focus. You also mentioned some of the other kids getting focus, and I agree. Butters didn't start out being nearly as important as he is now; it's actually kind of funny to go back and watch the movie, where he barely even speaks, and compare it to how prominent he is in later seasons. That would've never happened if he hadn't been given an opportunity to be in the limelight, and I think it's the same for other side characters.
>I've personally never found Randy all that funny and my opinion has only soured over the years.I know I already said this in my post, but I 100% agree. I don't know if he was always that insufferable, and I could just handle him better in small doses, or if he's gotten worse.