Basic Cable (South Park)

"Basic Cable" is the ninth episode of South Park's twenty-third season, marking the 306th episode overall. It aired on Comedy Central on December 4, 2019. The story follows Scott Malkinson, whose attempt to impress a new female classmate depends on getting access to streaming services—something his father, a lazy cable technician, strongly opposes. The episode satirizes the rivalry between traditional cable TV and streaming platforms, directly referencing Disney+'s *The Mandalorian* and HBO Max's October 2019 acquisition of *South Park* streaming rights from Hulu.

In the plot, fourth-grader Scott asks his father Clark, a Park County Cable technician, to subscribe to Disney+. Clark refuses, insisting cable is enough and complaining about streaming's rising popularity. Scott, who has type 1 diabetes, gives himself an insulin shot after his father's rant raises his blood sugar. At school, the class meets new student Sophie Gray, who also has diabetes. Scott, tired of being mocked for his condition, sees her as perfect for him and declares his love. When other boys show interest, he sabotages their efforts. Learning Sophie loves *The Mandalorian*, he pretends to like it too and agrees to watch the next episode at his house—despite not having Disney+.

Clark gets a job but procrastinates by shopping and bowling, a recurring joke about his laxness. He arrives at the Stotch residence 15 minutes after a five-hour service window, prompting Stephen Stotch to threaten switching to streaming. Scott again asks for Disney+ for his date; Clark refuses and plots with coworkers to sabotage the town's streaming services, scheduling a meeting during a four-hour window. Clark rallies them, arguing streaming hurts their business and uses their cables, so they should disrupt the infrastructure. He delegates tasks but says to meet during a three-hour window; the workers use this time for personal errands, angering Clark, who still does the same.

Scott buys a black-market Disney+ login, but Clark's crew vandalizes the cables, cutting off Scott's access. Sophie suggests going to Jimmy Valmer's house, where classmates gather to watch, but Jimmy's streaming also fails, as does everyone else's.