South Park is the Best TV Show Ever Made. Here are 5 Episodes to get you Started.
By: Sam Rhodes
Tags: Funny, South Park, Humour, Recommended Reading, List

Always topical, and the best at unique approaches to well trodden subjects.

South Park has existed since the dawn of animated adult comedy. It’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, are nothing short of comedic geniuses. Through the medium of animation and child like wonder, they say things and address topics that most live action comedians wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. The downfall of this amazing show for newbies, however, is the sheer amount of episodes available to view. With 309 episodes over 24 seasons, it’s easy to see why new fans would be put off, and starting at series one, episode one, would give a very wonky view of what this deep, political, satirical and clever show is all about. So, here are 5 episodes that embody all that’s good about the best comedy show in the world.

Season 13, Episode 3, Margaritaville

The most thoughtful meditation on the ruinous nature of buying things we don’t need

This episode comes first because of the sheer depth of content. it’s equal parts ‘The Big Short’ and a spoof of ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and manages to explain the sub prime mortgages crash of 2008 better than any other media in a measly 22 minutes. It’s also absolutely full to the brim with unpredictable jokes and wonderful analogies. It perfectly demonstrates the sheer frustration caused by being a small cog in both religious and economic environments that are way beyond your control. Not just one of the cleverest episodes of South Park, but potentially one of the most concise and cleverly written episodes of any comedy show ever. A real powerhouse of funny writing, with a good message to boot! This episode represents the social conscience of the show very well indeed, and Trey Parker’s ability to write amazing high concept thoughtful pieces AND total juvenile smut is the thing that shines most about his work.

2. Season 8, Episode 5, Awesome-O

Who wouldn’t want their very own Robot Pal?

The best thing about the character of Eric Cartman is that he is a total bastard. Cartman is an analogy for every selfish, oppressive, fat, racist piece of Sh*t in the whole world, and too often he gets his way and everything works out for him. This episode is the one where he finally gets a satisfying comeuppance. Posing as the latest in advanced computer technology, he tries to fool his friend and long term figure of ridicule Butters (the show’s perpetual whipping boy) into thinking he is an advanced mechanical friend from Japan. The plan is foiled, however, when we learn that Butters has some dirt on Cartman that he doesn’t want to come to light, so he is stuck playing the role of ‘Faithful robot butler’ for an extended period of time.

This is a great example of how to write a successful comedic farce. Every choice Cartman makes sends him deeper in to trouble, and like all of the best episode of the show, there’s no way to guess where the show is going. I personally love when the writers mock comedians with lesser talent and integrity, and this episode may contain the most accurate and direct attack on another act ever put to film. Needless to say, it doesn’t work out for Cartman, and poor old Butters scores a rare win.

3. Season 7, Episode 5, Fat But and Pancake head

Ben Affleck and his missus go for a drive

One of the best things about Matt Stone and Trey Parker is their utter distain for the Hollywood system. The show has always existed in a perpetual state of ‘about to be cancelled because they’ve upset some of the bigwigs’. Matt and Trey bow down to no one, and compromise never. They seem to believe that Hollywood culture is vapid and self interested, and rally against it at every opportunity. This episode is equal parts celebrity parody and pure Monty Python style absurdity. It revolves around hated Hollywood actor Ben Affleck falling in love with ANOTHER woman named Jennifer Lopez, who just happens to be a ventriloquist dummy played by Eric Cartman’s left hand…

The absurd set up leads to so many unexpected and satisfying payoffs, funny songs, and shows up not just the fallibility of celebrity culture, but also how writers who take a ridiculous idea seriously can lead to some amazing out there concepts and inspired joke-craft.

4. Season 3, Episode 11, Chinpokomon

Kids fads are just the weirdest…

This episode is great because it satirises both children's toy fads and Japanese global dominance. The show is a very thinly vailed stab at the toy craze of Pokémon, and how mass market consumer products can affect the minds of children. This episode, although an early one, is chock full of fantastic jokes and great design, and seems to encompass what is so challenging about being a kid. It emphasises the immense pressure felt to conform to what your friends are doing, and also the malleable nature of a growing child’s mind. The live action adverts contained within this episode are the best parodies of 90s toy commercials ever put to film, and being the infantilised man-child that I am, I love them with all of my heart. No great or important message here, just fun, silly, absurd comedy that is unequalled in terms of observational writing.

Season 2, Episode 1, Not Without My Anus

It’s just two Canadians farting on each other for 22 minutes.

The last episode of the top 5 is the exact opposite of the first episode on the list. When south Park was first released in 1997, it received a lot of criticism in the mainstream press for being base, and nothing but lewdness and toilet humour. In response to this criticism, the first episode of season two was purposefully written as a big F U to the critics, and is just fart jokes and pure crudity for 22 minutes. I love it. I know it word for word. When this episode first aired, I laughed so much I peed a little. I think puerility has just as much of a place in comedy as cutting satire, and this may be the best example of this style ever put to film. It centres around the South Park boys favourite Canadian comedians Terrance and Phillip, who go on a mission to save Canada from a ground invasion orchestrated by Saddam Husain, and features a guest appearance by Celine Dion and her boyfriend, Ugly Bob. I cannot put down in words quite how much this childish episode has brought me joy my entire adult life. Me and my close friends still quote this regularly. A must see.

Thanks Sam. I watched all of those, but what is next?

I didn’t even have time to talk about them going to the Oscars in Dresses high on LSD…

This is but a cursory introduction to the wonderful world of Matt and Trey, and if you like the episodes recommended, I can also point you in the direction of their cinematic output, most notably ‘Team America: World Police’ (an excellent action movie spoof done with Thunderbirds style marionettes) and Basketball, a sports comedy spoof written with the team behind Aeroplane!. If you are an artier type, their musical ‘The Book of Mormon’ is hilarious, and if you want more of the TV show, the block from the 6th to 10th season is solid and varied, and I recommend starting from there. Screw you guys, I’m going home!