South Park's season 27 premiere has sparked new controversy, this time for its showing of naked Donald Trump in several surreal and graphic sequences. The premiere, Sermon on the Mount, played on Wednesday and was not long in generating a hot reaction from the White House.

Creators strike back with snarky apology at Comic-Con

At San Diego's Comic-Con Thursday, co-creator Trey Parker gave a characteristically sarcastic response to the criticism: "We're terribly sorry," with a mock-serious face that had the audience giggling. Parker and co-creator Matt Stone sat alongside Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge and actor Andy Samberg at the animation panel.

Deepfake Trump strolls naked in desert in shocking debut

In the most incendiary moment of one of the series' episodes, naked Donald Trump is strolling by himself in a desert in a hyper-realistic deepfake scene. The producers used a photorealistic image of Trump's face grafted onto a computer-animated body in a bid to maximize the shock value. Unlike the typical cartoon look, the scene sparked controversy for its photorealistic production and off-the-charts intensity.

White House finds shows 'irrelevant' and 'desperate'

White House press secretary Taylor Rogers fired a shot in a formal statement: "More than 20 years behind schedule, this program is hanging by a thread to some unoriginal ideas in a desperate attempt to get noticed. President Trump has made more promises in his first six months as president than any president in history – and no fourth-rate program can halt his hot streak."

Unprecedented internal conflict was triggered by unfiltered Trump moment

The performers revealed that the inclusion of nude Donald Trump ignited a heated debate offstage. "They said, 'OK, but we're gonna blur the penis,' and I said, 'No, you're gonna blur the penis,' " Parker revealed. Stone added additionally that placing cartoon eyes on the penis made it a 'character' and thus exempted it from internal censorship rules.

Paramount roasted after signing $1.5B deal with creators

The episode also targeted Paramount—the same studio that had recently signed a $1.5 billion agreement with Parker and Stone for fresh content. Trump sues the town of South Park in the series for allowing Jesus Christ into its public schools. Jesus instructs them to drop the case, threatening: "You guys saw what happened to CBS? Guess who owns CBS? Paramount."

Jesus character cites CBS fallout and Colbert's cancellation

The show was referencing the real cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after Colbert's attacks on Trump and Paramount's $16 million legal payment to him. Having Jesus make remarks on corporate politics just added to the ridiculousness of the plot.

South Park's quick turnaround keeps it incredibly up-to-date

One of the things that makes the show so timely is its notoriously rapid production schedule. "I have no idea what next week's show is going to be," Parker declared. "Even three days ago, we did not know whether people were going to like this one." But the timely production of a naked Donald Trump assured the show a headline.

Trump remains the sweetheart of authors Parker and Stone

In spite of endless outrage, Parker and Stone persist in featuring naked Donald Trump in their satire, solidifying him as a recurring character of political surrealism in the South Park universe. Whether greeted with awards or outrage, their strategy remains wilfully provocative—and irrevocably viral.