Top 10 Times South Park Roasted TV Shows
#10: “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” (2005-12)
Top 20 Times South Park Roasted TV Shows
“I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining” If you’ve felt that survival shows and docuseries tend to get a little over dramatic or lean too heavily into their intense subject matter, you probably got a kick out of “I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining”. In this episode, the boys go on a ziplining trip, or as the show puts it, “a trip from Hell”. While it seems like the episode is mocking Animal Planet’s “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”, it’s all in good fun, really, and they even got the show’s narrator, Eric Meyers, to act as narrator for this episode. Whether you love or can’t stand reality shows or overtly serious documentary shows, this episode is a must-watch.
#9: “Jersey Shore” (2009-12)
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“It’s a Jersey Thing” Now, THIS was more mocking and criticism. “It’s a Jersey Thing” shows Kyle slowly coming to accept his New Jersey roots, going through transitions similar to that of a werewolf. In addition to poking fun at New Jersey folks and celebrities, the show went for some of the “Jersey Shore” cast, most notably Nicole Polizzi, aka “Snooky”. Surprisingly, the cast of “Jersey Shore” actually loved the episode, even going so far as to post and laugh about it on social media. Even Teresa Giudice of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” said she was “honored to be mocked by them”.
#8: WWE
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“W.T.F.” After seeing a WWE event, the boys sign up for wrestling at their school only to find out it wasn’t anything they had hoped for. Frustrated, they form their own pro wrestling organization, and this is where the show starts making fun of the “pro wrestling” aspect of WWE. Most of the matches are nothing more than talking trash to each other over ridiculous and petty things, and if there’s any fighting to be had, they’re just smacking chairs against each other. Of course, wrestling fans know there’s more to the shows than just that, but can you blame “South Park” for its “violent Shakespeare” take?
#7: “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” (2012-14)
Top 10 Times South Park Roasted Reality Shows
“Raising the Bar” For a time, it seemed like TLC and other networks only wanted to make shows that focused on outrageous people and unhealthy lifestyles, and that’s what “Raising the Bar” centers on. Here, the show criticizes how unsavory shows like “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” don’t seem to exist because they’re interesting or meaningful - it’s mostly there because of shock value. However, the end of the episode sees the show call itself out for sort of adding to the trend in their own way, having used shock value itself for years and years. It was an episode full of commentary and insight, earning the show yet another Emmy at the 2013 Primetime Emmy Awards.
#6: Shopping Channels
“Cash for Gold” Though this one was a bit more general, it’s still worth mentioning. “Cash for Gold” sees Stan trying to expose the manipulation behind home shopping networks, specifically the fictional J&G Shopping Network. The entire episode explains how shopping networks play a part in the vicious cycle of the “cash for gold” business model, showing how consumers can be cheated out of their money through cheap jewelry that will eventually be recycled into another piece of cheap jewelry. Though it ends on a rather sweet note, it has certainly made us more suspicious of the few shopping networks still lingering around today.
#5: “Nanny 911” (2004-09), “Supernanny” (2005-20), & “The Dog Whisperer” (2004-12)
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“Tsst” Cartman is such an unruly child that it seems impossible for anyone to gain control over him. This Season Ten episode sees Liane hire celebrity nannies to change her son. The show immediately does away with “Nanny 911” and “Super Nanny” as both Stella Reid and Jo Frost fail to get their methods to work on Cartman. And so, Liane is left with one last reality show star - Cesar Milan from “The Dog Whisperer”. Whereas Reid and Frost have yet to comment on the episode, Milan has publicly stated he’s seen it and thought both his caricature and the episode were “fantastic”.
#4: The Food Network
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“Creme Fraiche” If you’ve watched any show on The Food Network, you’re probably aware of the sometimes suggestive nature of their programs. “South Park” certainly noticed as evidenced by the “Creme Fraiche” episode. See, Randy seems to get turned on by the sight of pouring sauces over food, and it doesn’t help when personalities like Guy Fieri are remarking so much on meat juices. In addition to the questionably erotic terminology used by Food Network hosts, it also pokes fun at several of the network’s stars including Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and several others. Surprisingly, Ramsay has seen the episode himself and expressed his enjoyment of the show on Twitter.
#3: “Game of Thrones” (2011-19)
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The “Black Friday” Trilogy Anyone who has heard of “Game of Thrones” knows about the show’s notoriously slow burn and tendency to kill off characters without a moment’s notice. While simultaneously showing their love for the show through plot parallels and references, Trey Parker and Matt Stone adapted their own version of the Red Wedding arc. As expected, characters are dying and betraying each other left and right, but it goes about it in ways that make sense outside of the sake of comedy. It also uses the violence and conflict to commentate on the absurd nature of console wars in the video game community. If you haven’t seen these episodes, you really should.
#2: “The Simpsons” (1989-)
Top 10 Times Shows Made Fun of The Simpsons
“The Simpsons Already Did It” Butters, er, excuse me—Professor Chaos is ready to wreak havoc unto South Park once more, but he seems to be having some trouble this time around. According to his lackey, General Disarray, every plan in the professor’s book has been done already by “The Simpsons”. Indeed, “The Simpsons” has been around longer than any show probably should, even at the time this episode aired! But the way this observation is made is a relevant commentary on how it’s almost impossible to be completely original anymore, especially in the world of storytelling.
#1: “Family Guy” (1999-)
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“Cartoon Wars Part I & II” Of all the times “South Park” has mocked, lampooned, and scrutinized, this two-parter was the loudest of them all. Fed up with everyone comparing him to “Family Guy”, Cartman travels to FOX headquarters to get the show canceled forever with Kyle trailing behind to foil him. Throughout the episode, “South Park” criticizes “Family Guy’s” formulaic and seemingly random cutaways, going so far as to say that the show is written by manatees. Normally, this sort of thing would cause some drama between folks, but to everyone’s shock, “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane praised the show and called the episode “accurate and funny”.
