Top 10 South Park Episodes

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#10: “200” / “201”

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In these landmark episodes that mark the show’s 200th and 201st episodes respectively, “South Park” pays homage to its best moments with the return of fan favorite characters and practically every celebrity the show has ever parodied. They all tie into a clever – albeit controversial – story in which a fudge-packing Tom Cruise, a gooey Rob Reiner, and other big names threaten to sue the town unless they deliver the taboo prophet Muhammad. After “200” resulted in a threat from a radical Muslim group, Comedy Central heavily censored the follow-up, “201.” Nevertheless, both episodes still effectively enforce the message that no public figure should be off-limits when it comes to satire. Plus, we finally learn who Cartman’s real father is.

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#9: “Black Friday” trilogy

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You think “Game of Thrones” is brutal? You should see the mall on Black Friday. This three-part epic that consists of the episodes “Black Friday,” “A Song of Ass and Fire” and “Titties and Dragons” takes a long, hard look at the dark side of consumerism as the boys devise a plan to achieve discounts on next-gen consoles. The question is whether they should buy Xbox Ones or PS4s. What, no love for Nintendo Wii U? While Sony and Microsoft go to war, Randy prepares for winter, George R.R. Martin procrastinates, and Princess Kenny reigns supreme. Firing on all cylinders, the “Black Friday” trilogy dishes out ingenious references, commentary, twists, and even a tie-in to “The Stick of Truth” video game.

Eric Cartman will go to insanely drastic lengths over the most insignificant things. In that sense, this episode perfectly sums up his character. Upon learning that Kyle has invited Butters to his birthday party at Casa Bonita instead of him, Cartman vows to take his place. He tricks the gullible Butters into believing a meteor is heading for earth, and locks him in a bomb shelter. It’s nothing short of priceless watching Cartman take extreme measures to keep this ruse going as everyone else panics over Butters’ disappearance. Even when Cartman faces his inevitable downfall, he refuses to let anything stand in his way of this real-life Mexican restaurant.

Poor Butters. In addition to having the worst parents in the world, his friends always just use him as a pawn in their plans. In this case, the boys make Butters fake his death so he can infiltrate a girl’s sleepover and learn the secrets of their mythical cootie catcher. Part of what makes this episode so uproarious is how it goes to increasingly dark places, especially when Butter’s parents try to resurrect him. In the midst of all Butters’ suffering, though, at least he has a pretty good time at the slumber party. Maybe he should’ve just kept pretending to be Marjorine.

Given all the hell Cartman has put Butters through, it’s only appropriate that the fat-ass gets his comeuppance in this hysterical episode. When Cartman dresses up as a robot to learn Butters’ embarrassing secrets, he finds out that Butters actually knows one of his secrets. Now Cartman must fully commit to his role in order to avoid humiliation. Although we don’t see Cartman’s face for much of the episode, it’s hilarious just to imagine what’s running through his head as he digs himself deeper and deeper into trouble. Despite his best efforts, it’s the tiniest of errors that ultimately exposes him.

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#5: “All About Mormons”

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Before Matt Stone and Trey Parker were a hit on Broadway with “The Book of Mormon,” they made this classic “South Park” episode. When a Mormon family moves to town, people are completely bewildered by how unusually nice they are. Stan only becomes more judgmental as he learns the story of Joseph Smith, which he considers “dumb-dumb-dumb, dumb, dumb.” Aside from deriving great humor from actual Mormon beliefs, the episode also provides a meaningful message about faith. Sure, religion doesn’t always make sense, but if it helps you to be a better person without hurting anyone else, who cares what other people think?

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#4: “Make Love, Not Warcraft”

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“South Park” has produced a variety of video game-related episodes and this is by far the most ingenious. When a griefer starts claiming innocent lives in the World of Warcraft, the boys decide to band together. As their characters level up into unstoppable warriors, in the real world they’re reduced to obese slobs with no lives. Much like an RPG, this episode manages to take something as uneventful as sitting at a computer screen and turn it into an absorbing adventure. The story both satirizes the “WOW” fan base while also embracing the franchise. It’s only made funnier by the fact that Blizzard Entertainment contributed to the CG animation.

Of all the multi-part episodes “South Park” has done, this Emmy-winning trilogy stands out as a magnum opus. “Imaginationland” is certainly one of the show’s most ambitious and cinematic outings as imagination itself is threatened. In addition to providing one great laugh after another, “Imaginationland” constantly leaves you at the edge of your seat, not only wondering where the story will go, but also which imaginary character will make an appearance next. They even make room for our favorite woodland critters. In the end, we get a unique moral regarding the importance of imagination and the impact many of these fictional characters have had on us.

Being a show that’s not afraid to tackle any subject matter, it isn’t shocking that “South Park” has riled up so much controversy. “Trapped in the Closet” is arguably the most controversial episode of all. Taking on the Church of Scientology and poking fun at Tom Cruise’s sexual orientation, the episode naturally pissed off numerous parties. It even led to the departure of Isaac Hayes, who provided the voice of Chef. It was worth it, however, to get one of the show’s boldest half-hours, which – over the years – has come to be seen as less of a shot at Scientology and more of an advocate for free speech.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- “Woodland Critter Christmas”
- “Asspen”
- “The Coon” trilogy
- “Good Times with Weapons”
- “Cartoon Wars Parts I & II”

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#1: “Scott Tenorman Must Die”

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It’s interesting that the absolute best “South Park” episode would also be one of the simplest. There’s no moral or commentary on our society; it’s essentially just a cat and mouse game as Cartman tries to get back at Scott Tenorman for selling him his pubes. After watching Cartman continually fail miserably in his revenge plot, it’s the twist ending that makes this episode. We won’t give it away here, but let’s just say it elevates the story to another level of comedic genius and Cartman to another level of psychopath. You’ll also never look at a bowl of chili the same way again.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite “South Park” episode? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.