10 Most Important ‘South Park’ Episodes That Changed the Show
There aren’t many shows in history that have been as influential as South Park, as the transgressive animated show created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone has been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on television for almost three decades. Although originally some may have compared South Park to other adult animated shows like Family Guy or King of the Hill, it quickly proved to be a surprisingly complex series that had salient points about art, culture, politics, history, and the way in which people interact with one another.
Trying to start South Park for the first time can seem like a massive challenge, as the show is so consistently great that it might be hard to find a great point to begin with. However, there are some truly excellent episodes that stand out because of how they pivoted the direction of the show. Here are the ten most important South Park episodes that changed the show.
- Release Date
-
August 13, 1997
- Network
-
Comedy Central
-
Karri Turner
Liane Cartman / Wendy Testaburger / Mrs. Crabtree (voice)
-
Kyle Broflovski / Kenny McCormick (voice)
10
“The Death of Eric Cartman”
Season 9, Episode 6 (2005)
“The Death of Eric Cartman” is one of the show’s most darkly hilarious episodes, as it examines the vile, self-obsessed behavior that makes Eric Cartman such a great character. After Cartman’s callous attitude proves to be too much for his friends, they decide to deliberately ignore him, leaving him to question what his life’s purpose is.
“The Death of Eric Cartman” examines Cartman’s attempt to find forgiveness, even if it is only because he wants to elude the temporary consequences. The episode spits in the face of any genuine character development when Cartman, praised for his heroic actions, decides to go back to being his same awful self when he realizes that he had been deceived by his friends the whole time. If there were ever any doubts about whether Cartman was a good person, this episode almost certainly shows how terrible he really is.
9
“Trapped in the Closet”
Season 9, Episode 12 (2005)
“Trapped in the Closet” is among the most controversial episodes of South Park, as the show took aim at the Church of Scientology and some of its most prominent members. The episode featured a disparaging depiction of Tom Cruise, who was so infuriated that it caused some conflict with Paramount Pictures (who also owned South Park’s home, Comedy Central) during the promotion of Mission: Impossible III.
“Trapped in the Closet” was a scathing examination of the influence and power of Scientology, and was released before some of the more disturbing allegations against the Church were released. Although Parker and Stone may have only attempted to make a funny episode that took aim at a major topic, this episode may have inadvertently become a major part of religious history, as many of the points it made about Scientology were actually pretty salient.
8
“Fishsticks”
Season 13, Episode 5 (2009)
Although South Park has managed to offend a wide variety of celebrities with its crude caricatures, there hasn’t been a takedown in the show’s history as devastating as the depiction of Kanye West in “Fishsticks.” After Cartman steals a joke from Jimmy that goes viral, West is forced to keep defending himself against allegations that he is gay, as he does not understand the institution of the pun, which makes him increasingly furious at journalists.
In addition to showing how self-obsessed celebrities and artists like West really are, particularly when they are the subject of any legitimate criticism, “Fishsticks” is another example of why Cartman is such a hilariously narcissistic character. Cartman is able to coast off the fame that Jimmy’s joke brought to him, and even manages to convince him that it was always his idea to begin with.
7
“Make Love, Not Warcraft”
Season 10, Episode 8 (2006)
“Make Love, Not Warcraft” is one of the most powerful takedowns of gaming culture ever, as the South Park episode showed just how all-consuming and destructive it can be to be obsessed with an MMORPG. After Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny become infuriated by a random player that keeps killing them in World of Warcraft, they decide to take their mission of revenge to the next level by completely immersing themselves in the game without any ventures into the outside world.
“Make Love, Not Warcraft” shows the physical and psychological effects that an addiction to gaming has on the characters, as they only steadily realize that they’ve gotten in far too deep. Although Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny were ultimately able to choose a different path, the reputation of World of Warcraft fans has never fully recovered since “Make Love, Not Warcraft” was released.
6
“Imaginationland”
Season 11, Episodes 10-12 (2007)
“Imaginationland” is the most epic South Park storyline ever, as the trilogy of three episodes brought together various fantasy storylines within the show that had been established in previous seasons. The crossover even features a variety of popular culture influences, with cameos from Harry Potter and Star Wars, as well as prominent celebrity filmmakers like Michael Bay.
Although there had been other episodes that focused on one standalone adventure, the concept of all the boys in a collective dream was unique to “Imaginationland.” It was a great way for South Park to take a break from the rules that it has often played by, and paved the way for future episodes to take place outside of the standard canon by embracing the freedom of “playing pretend.” Some home video releases included a combined version of the episodes into a standalone mini-film.
5
“Woodland Critter Christmas”
Season 8, Episode 14 (2004)
“Woodland Critter Christmas” is one of the many excellent holiday episodes of South Park, as the show actually started as part of a holiday card. The episode serves as a hilarious parody of standard holiday family specials, as Stan’s discovery of a mystical group of talking animals takes a dark turn when he discovers that they are monstrous cannibals.
The horror twist is one of the most shocking in South Park history, as the viewers were able to experience the same terror and confusion that Stan was. Although there are frequent moments on South Park that have offended a significant portion of the audience, “Woodland Critters Christmas” is one of the rare episodes that is just as disturbingly violent as it is gut-bustingly hilarious. It certainly set a high bar for future South Park holiday episodes, even if there have been several standouts in recent seasons.
4
“Casa Bonita”
Season 7, Episode 11 (2003)
“Casa Bonita” is one of the most hilarious episodes of South Park, as it focuses on Cartman’s attempts to get invited to Kyle’s birthday party, which is set to take place at a Mexican restaurant. Although Kyle is given the opportunity to invite friends, he chooses to invite Stan, Kenny, and Butters, as he has become too irritated with the constant antisemitic comments that Cartman had made.
“Casa Bonita” was inspired by a real restaurant in Colorado, which Parker and Stone actually restored; their revamping process was actually captured within an award-winning documentary that is now streaming on Paramount Plus. Although the genuine passion that Parker and Stone have for the real location does make this episode still feel somewhat heartfelt, it does not take away from the hilariously offensive things that Cartman says throughout as he vies for the attention of his friends.
3
“Member Berries”
Season 20, Episode 1 (2016)
“Member Berries” is one of the rare South Park episodes that crossed over into mainstream popular culture, as it was often brought up as an example of why legacy sequels are often disappointing when compared to their originals. The term “member berries” refers to nostalgic-heavy moments in films such as Jurassic World or Terminator: Dark Fate that are intended to remind fans of something that they loved in the past, but don’t actually introduce any new ideas or have any value.
“Member Berries” was a very self-aware episode of South Park, as unlike other animated sitcoms, the show has done its best to move forward and progress its characters instead of reverting back to familiar storylines and jokes. While some fans have felt that South Park has suffered from a decline in quality in later seasons, “Member Berries” proved that the show could still be as culturally relevant as it always was.
2
“You’re Getting Old”
Season 15, Episode 7 (2011)
“You’re Getting Old” is one of the rare episodes of South Park that strikes an emotional chord, as it examines very realistic feelings about depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. After Stan celebrates his birthday party, he finds himself becoming increasingly negative about the world, which begins to alienate him from his friends, who find him irritable and less fun to be around.
“You’re Getting Old” was not toothless in its depiction of depression, as Stan is not automatically “cured” by the time that the episode is concluded. Although there are enough physical gags throughout to still make it an entertaining episode, “You’re Getting Old” offered an insightful window into the ways in which people are forced to live with their depression, and each day wage a silent battle in order to ensure that their negative feelings do not become too overwhelming.
1
“Scott Tenorman Must Die”
Season 5, Episode 5 (2001)
“Scott Tenorman Must Die” is the darkest and most shocking episode in the history of South Park, but it also happens to be the most hilarious. After the bully Scott Tenorman decides to relentlessly bully Cartman, he decides to go forward with an elaborate plan of revenge that culminates with a shocking moment involving the ingredients of chili.
“Scott Tenorman Must Die” is a genius work of television writing, as initially, Parker and Stone are able to get the viewer to empathize with Cartman because of the way that he has been treated by Scott. However, it is only by the end of the episode that Cartman is revealed to be a true psychopath whose capacity for cruelty knows no limits, which serves as a way of condemning both the audience and his circle of friends for ever wanting to cast him in a somewhat sympathetic light.
