South Park has been one of the extensively influential tv exhibits of the final twenty years, and has surprisingly been capable of preserve a constant degree of high quality because it delves into new materials. South Park could have initially made a variety of noise due to its controversial content material, however it will definitely developed right into a surprisingly considerate evaluation of politics, world occasions, the leisure trade, and small-town values.
Whereas even a number of the best comedy exhibits of all time have a couple of missed alternatives, the perfect episodes of South Park are nearly as good as tv can get. Whereas most followers would argue that the present’s greatest episodes are in its earlier days, a number of new installments from the present’s newer seasons have additionally managed to win over new followers. Listed below are ten South Park episodes which are just about excellent.
15
“The Demise of Eric Cartman”
Season 9, Episode 6 (2005)
“The Demise of Eric Cartman” is one in all probably the most advanced episodes about Cartman, because it explores how genuinely difficult it’s to punish somebody who exhibits no indicators of desirous to redeem himself. After the opposite boys stage a darkish model of It’s A Great Life during which they fake that their most obnoxious pal doesn’t exist, Cartman decides to enlist Butters in a mission to find the reality.
“The Demise of Eric Cartman” exhibits the extremes that Cartman is keen to go to to be able to get consideration, regardless that genuinely being a greater individual would have solved these points; he even goes as far as to govern Butters. Arguably, the team-up between Cartman and Butters is likely one of the episode’s greatest parts, because it looks like a throwback to traditional motion films like Deadly Weapon and 48 Hrs.
14
“The Dropping Edge”
Season 9, Episode 5 (2005)
“The Dropping Edge” is a hilarious satire of inspirational sports activities films like The Sandlot and The Dangerous Information Bears, because it exhibits how difficult it’s for the children of South Park who hate nothing greater than taking part in baseball. Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Cartman, and Butters all play baseball as a result of they really feel obligated to by their mother and father; because the season proceeds, they determine to sabotage their very own success in an try to finish the season early.
“The Dropping Edge” is a good way of displaying the generational divide inside South Park, as it’s evident that the worth that the mother and father positioned upon baseball and athletics just isn’t shared by their kids. South Park is at all times nice when it will get to make enjoyable of cliches that had been widespread in different genres, and the present’s anarchic lampooning of family-friendly baseball tales produces some really surprising moments of humor.
13
“The Story of Scrotie McBoogerballs”
Season 14, Episode 2 (2010)
South Park is filled with comparatively fascinating notions of social satire, which are sometimes made extra compelling because of the usage of gross-out humor. “The Story of Scrotie McBoogerballs” is a surprisingly scathing takedown of literary criticism; after the boys develop pissed off with having to learn The Catcher within the Rye in school, they determine to write down a vulgar guide of their very own to show that there isn’t actually something price praising in J.D. Salinger’s work. Nonetheless, the plan backfires when their guide receives immense reward, and Butters is subsequently hailed as a literary genius.
“The Story of Scrotie McBoogerballs” underlies a problematic side of all types of criticism, during which worth is ascribed to one thing that wasn’t supposed to be a standout. Though it’s a surprisingly salient level that has grown much more related lately, the episode consists of sufficient vomit-related jokes to maintain common South Park viewers entertained.
12
“Simpsons Already Did It”
Season 6, Episode 7 (2006)
Though the sequence has proven disdain in the direction of a lot of their rival grownup animated exhibits (significantly Household Man), South Park does appear to have a variety of respect for The Simpsons, because it was such a groundbreaking sequence that clearly ranks among the many greatest ever made. The difficulty is that since The Simpsons has been so constantly nice for a number of many years, it may be arduous for exhibits like South Park to do one thing considerably totally different that doesn’t really feel like an entire retread.
“Simpsons Already Did It” examines the pressures placed on South Park writers, and explores what it’s prefer to be progressive inside the realm of animated comedy within the post-Simpsons world. Whereas South Park is often fairly scathing when it makes references to different packages, it does seem that Parker and Stone appear to have some real respect for The Simpsons.
11
“Useless Children”
Season 22, Episode 1 (2018)
“Useless Children” is definitely one of many darkest and most controversial South Park episodes, because it offers straight with the disaster of college shootings which have change into much more frequent in the US. The grim portrayal of the long run that South Park imagines is one the place having to dodge gun violence is only a actuality that Cartman, Kenny, Kyle, and Stan should cope with; the problem turns into so excessive that Randy has to relax his spouse and guarantee her that nothing that’s occurring is a giant deal.
“Useless Children” calls consideration to the overabundance of violence on tv, and the way it has desensitized viewers to really caring in regards to the security of kids. Whereas many followers would agree that South Park has not been as sturdy in its current few seasons, “Useless Children” proved that the sequence nonetheless had the flexibility to shock.
10
“Scott Tenorman Should Die”
Season 5, Episode 5 (2001)
Whereas it has at all times been a reasonably darkish sequence, “Scott Tenorman Should Die” is arguably probably the most disturbing episode within the historical past of South Park, because it particulars a very merciless plot of revenge that Cartman enacts to get revenge on a faculty bully. What’s most ironic is that regardless that Cartman is genuinely one of the egocentric and impolite characters on the present, viewers could have some sympathy early on when he’s relentlessly bullied and humiliated by the older scholar Scott.
“Scott Tenorman Should Die” confirmed simply how harmful Cartman could possibly be when decided to take somebody down, and proved that the present was not afraid to color its characters in an unsympathetic mild. It wouldn’t be a traditional South Park episode if there weren’t various moments that made viewers uncomfortable at what they had been imagined to be laughing at.
9
“Casa Bonita”
Season 7, Episode 11 (2003)
“Casa Bonita” is one other nice episode that exhibits simply how egocentric Cartman may be, because it examines his continued makes an attempt to get invited to a flowery Mexican restaurant that he has decided is the perfect on this planet. It’s significantly amusing to see any occasion during which Cartman is pressured to behave kind-hearted to be able to get one thing he desires, because it goes towards all of his primary instincts as a personality.
“Casa Bonita” could have the greatest quotes out of any South Park episode, as the varied insults that Cartman spouts out when he will get mad are among the many present’s greatest. It’s arguably the episode that greatest identifies why Cartman is such an uncommon protagonist, however Stan and Kyle do get some humorous moments in addition to the voices of motive who attempt to rationalize what makes Casa Bonita so particular.
8
“Woodland Critter Christmas”
Season 8, Episode 14 (2004)
Contemplating that the present started as a sequence of vacation specials that had been created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, it is sensible that a number of the greatest South Park episodes had been the Christmas-themed installments. “Woodland Critter Christmas” takes a darkish activate a typical vacation animated particular when Stan ventures off into the woods to find a gaggle of magical speaking animals; the twist is that they’re truly concerned in a ruthless evil ceremony.
South Park is usually at its greatest when it is ready to marry the absurd with the disturbing, and it is frankly somewhat surprising that “Woodland Critter Christmas” was capable of get away with as a lot graphic content material because it did. South Park has by no means been a present for the faint of coronary heart, however the graphic animal murders dedicated in “Woodland Critter Christmas” could also be sufficient to get even probably the most strongly stomached viewers to show away for a couple of moments.
7
“Trapped within the Closet”
Season 9, Episode 12 (2005)
South Park at all times outdoes itself when it has the chance to make enjoyable of celebrities, however few impressions incited fairly as a lot controversy because the depiction of Tom Cruise in “Trapped within the Closet.” The episode takes Cruise to job for his involvement within the church of Scientology, after which goes on to indicate that he’s a closeted gay who’s hiding his sexuality from his followers.
“Trapped Within the Closet” was significantly efficient as a bit of satire as a result of South Park was not punching down; Cruise was arguably the largest star on this planet, and it is potential that the episode considerably damage his standing as a preferred tradition icon. The truth that the episode turned the topic of such appreciable backlash from Cruise himself solely makes what Parker and Stone managed to tug off appear much more spectacular.
6
“Cartoon Wars”
Season 10, Episodes 3-4 (2006)
The 2 “Cartoon Wars” episodes of South Park are among the many few episodes that aren’t obtainable on streaming (you’ll be able to nonetheless observe them down for buy although), as networks like Max and Paramount Plus discovered them to be method too darkish, even by the present’s requirements. In a very ruthless jab on the rival grownup animated present Household Man, the “Cartoon Wars” episodes discover the controversy surrounding a supposed episode of Seth MacFarlane’s animated sitcom that makes jokes on the expense of Muslims.
Though a lot of the episodes carry up traditional South Park themes about censorship, probably the most hilarious second in “Cartoon Wars” entails displaying the writing means of an episode of Household Man, which entails merging random cutaway gags with area of interest celeb references. Though a majority of followers haven’t seen these episodes due to their inaccessibility, “Cartoon Wars” is so nasty that it will be nearly unimaginable to view Household Man the identical method once more.
5
“Make Love, Not Warcraft”
Season 10, Episode 8 (2006)
South Park has typically explored the world of video gaming, however “Make Love, Not Warcraft” served because the present’s greatest depiction of the obsessive communities that emerge on huge multiplayer on-line video games. After a rival participant retains killing them, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny workforce as much as dedicate their lives to perfecting their World of Warcraft characters, and change into more and more lazy and unhealthy in consequence.
The incorporation of practical World of Warcraft footage inside “Make Love, Not Warcraft” was significantly efficient, because the present had a powerful sense of how the precise recreation mechanics work. The sight of the 4 boys remodeled into obsessive slobs who can barely transfer away from their screens as a result of they’re so enticed by the sport is likely one of the single best (albeit most annoying) sight gags that South Park has ever managed to tug off.
4
“Imaginationland”
Season 11, Episodes 10-12 (2007)
South Park has pulled off a lot of sensible multi-part storylines, however none have been fairly as profitable because the trilogy of “Imaginationland” episodes that aired as a part of the eleventh season. The episodes broke from the standard mythology of the sequence to happen in a fantastical dream imaginative and prescient during which the boys have to forestall their protecting imaginations from being taken over by evil forces.
“Imaginationland” accommodates no scarcity of widespread tradition references to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and numerous superheroes, but additionally will get to be somewhat surrealist and bizarre at instances. The trilogy was so profitable that Comedy Central briefly launched the episodes as a mixed direct-to-DVD film that served because the closest factor followers could ever get to a sequel to the 1999 theatrical launch of South Park: Greater, Longer, and Uncut.
3
“Fishsticks”
Season 13, Episode 5 (2009)
Many followers could have forgotten that Invoice Hader helped write a season of South Park that included one of many present’s most insightful examinations of the best way comedy clips can go viral. The episode follows Jimmy and Cartman as they get right into a feud over the possession of a joke, and the way it finally entails Kanye West when he takes offense to its implications.
“Fishsticks” combines a genuinely compelling satire in regards to the ease at which inventive ingenuity may be subverted with some actually humorous insults, displaying that South Park is usually rather more level-headed than it’s typically given credit score for. The episode additionally ends with a terrific unique music of the identical identify that definitely ranks among the many best musical moments within the historical past of South Park, which is not any small assertion contemplating that Parker and Stone are additionally Tony award-winning musicians.
2
“You’re Getting Outdated”
Season 15, Episode 7 (2011)
“You’re Getting Outdated” broke with the standard requirements of a South Park episode by telling a extra critical story about how Stan is pressured to deal with rising older, which begins a feud amongst his associates. After his birthday comes alongside, Stan begins to really feel very depressed in regards to the state of the world, as every thing actually “turns to shit” in his eyes.
“You’re Getting Outdated” was praised for its surprisingly tender depiction of psychological well being trauma, because it personified the sentiments that many viewers could have had in a method that felt very genuine. Seeing a personality who had earned as passionate of a fanbase as Stan face his fears straight within the eye was surprisingly shifting, however “You’re Getting Outdated” nonetheless featured the identical quantity of surprising gross out humor that followers of the present would have come to count on.
1
“Member Berries”
Season 20, Episode 1 (2016)
“Member Berries” has change into such a preferred episode of South Park that it has crossed over into the bigger widespread tradition panorama of movie criticism, because the time period is usually used when referring to the usage of nostalgia in franchise legacy sequels. The episode explores the idea of how the usage of nostalgia, whereas refreshing within the second, may be an addictive technique of producing enthusiasm for one thing that’s now not related.
“Member Berries” additionally helped to proceed the season-long storyline that revolved across the Presidential election, during which Mr. Garrison turned a right-wing extremist candidate that was straight impressed by Donald Trump. Because the present was airing all through the election cycle itself, Parker and Stone had been capable of constantly present Garrison’s stunning rise to success, main up-to-the-minute during which Trump was elected in November.
