10 Early South Park Episodes That Wouldn’t Fly Today

South Park has been both incredibly popular and consistently controversial since it first aired in 1997. While the show is undeniably iconic, some of its earlier episodes wouldn’t be received as well by audiences today.

South Park is well-known for poking fun at pretty much any topic creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone choose. While its dark, often violent, and frequently profane humor isn’t for all viewers, the show has still received many award nominations throughout its run. Some episodes, particularly those from the show’s beginning, have been especially controversial.

“Super Best Friends” Is Not Available to Stream

The South Park episode “Super Best Friends” (Season 5, Episode 3) is hard to find in its complete form. The episode centers around a group called the Blaintologists, formed by a particular character. When the group falls under the influence of Blaine’s cult, Stan is the only one who sees the danger. He tries to prevent a mass suicide by summoning the Super Best Friends, a humorous take on the classic cartoon Super Friends (1973-1985).

You can’t stream the “Super Best Friends” episode of South Park on Comedy Central or popular streaming platforms. This is because the episode features the religious figure Muhammad, and visual representations of him are deeply controversial within Islam and often cause strong reactions. Despite this, South Park has never shied away from controversial topics.

Even so, it’s likely that a show like “Super Best Friends” wouldn’t be approved if it were pitched today.

“Trapped in the Closet” Satirizes Scientology

The “Trapped in the Closet” episode (Season 9, Episode 12) centers on Stan becoming involved with the Church of Scientology. He rapidly advances within the organization and is ultimately believed to be the reincarnation of its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. The episode incorporates some of Scientology’s core beliefs and depicts Stan trying to convince celebrities like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and R. Kelly to publicly acknowledge their involvement.

The “Trapped in the Closet” episode probably wouldn’t be made today. Its humorous criticism of Scientology and its members caused the organization to threaten lawsuits. Beyond the investigation of South Park and its creators, Isaac Hayes, who was a Scientologist, quit the show, and his character, Chef, was later removed from the series.

“Cartman Joins NAMBLA” Is Extremely Graphic

In the South Park episode “Cartman Joins NAMBLA” (Season 4, Episode 5), Cartman unknowingly gets involved with a controversial organization while trying to find new friends. He doesn’t realize he’s being manipulated. Meanwhile, Kenny desperately tries to prevent his parents from having another child, and he takes increasingly drastic measures to achieve this.

While some South Park episodes touch on sensitive topics, “Cartman Joins NAMBLA” stands out for its extreme controversy. Although the episode satirizes NAMBLA and warns about online dangers for children, the underlying theme of pedophilia is deeply disturbing, even when presented as a joke. Similarly, Kenny’s plot to kill his unborn brother is shocking and unsettling.

“Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy” Raises Several Eyebrows

In the South Park episode “Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy” (Season 10, Episode 10), a new school hallway monitor takes his job way too seriously. Meanwhile, Kyle and Cartman become concerned when Kyle’s younger brother, Ike, starts dating his teacher, Miss Stevenson. However, because Miss Stevenson is attractive, no one believes the boys’ concerns except for each other.

Episodes like “Cartman Joins NAMBLA” and “Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy” demonstrate that South Park isn’t afraid to tackle any subject, no matter how controversial. The storyline involving Ike and Miss Stevenson is particularly unsettling, especially when Miss Stevenson tries to smuggle Ike out of the country.

While Cartman’s commitment to being a hall monitor is a highlight of the episode, the storyline involving a child’s grooming would rightly cause significant outrage if aired now.

“Jared Has Aides” Features a Controversial Ex-Spokesman

The South Park episode “Jared Has Aides” (Season 6, Episode 1) centers on Jared Fogle, the former face of Subway. When Fogle tells the town he lost weight with the help of ‘aides’ – meaning personal assistants – the residents mistakenly believe he has AIDS. Meanwhile, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny attempt their own weight-loss plan.

The South Park episode “Jared Has Aides” came out several years before Jared Fogle was arrested and later sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2015 for possessing child pornography. While the episode may have been considered funny when it first aired, Fogle’s crimes now make it uncomfortable to watch.

Had Fogle’s private information been revealed sooner, the campaign “Jared Has Aides” likely wouldn’t have existed.

“Chef Goes Nanners” Tackles a Real-World Debate

In the South Park episode “Chef Goes Nanners” (Season 4, Episode 7), a debate sparks over whether the town flag is racist after Chef calls for its removal. Meanwhile, Wendy unexpectedly develops a crush on Cartman, which surprises everyone.

Compared to other episodes, “Chef Goes Nanners” is relatively tame. However, it likely wouldn’t be as well-received today as it was 25 years ago. While the episode tries to address racism through satire, it relies on stereotypes and simple jokes rather than offering a deeper or more thoughtful discussion.

For what it’s worth, this South Park episode is one Parker and Stone also dislike.

“Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?” Pushes Boundaries

The South Park episode “Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?” (Season 4, Episode 9) explores ideas about Heaven, Hell, and admitting wrongdoing. The story begins when the boys worry that their disabled friends won’t get into Heaven because they believe it’s hard for them to confess their sins. Meanwhile, Satan is hosting a party in Hell with famous guests like Frank Sinatra, Saddam Hussein, Princess Diana, Adolf Hitler, and Tiny Tim.

The South Park episodes “Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?” and its sequel, “Probably,” are actually quite well-done. However, it’s likely those episodes wouldn’t be received as well if they aired today. As we’ve seen, making jokes about religion almost always causes controversy.

Parker and Stone cleverly poke fun at who gets into Heaven, but the suggestion that some people are beyond redemption is a weak part of their argument.

“Cartoon Wars Part I” & “Cartoon Wars Part II” Involve Family Guy

“Cartoon Wars Part I” and “Cartoon Wars Part II” (Season 10, Episodes 3 & 4) are a special two-part episode that brings together the worlds of South Park and Family Guy. The story begins when Family Guy intends to air an episode featuring the Prophet Muhammad, which causes widespread concern in South Park and across the United States. In response, Cartman goes to Hollywood hoping to stop the episode from being broadcast.

The “Cartoon Wars” episodes – Part I and Part II – had a unique idea, but they also tested the limits of what’s acceptable in terms of religious depictions. The episodes featured portrayals of Muhammad that caused significant controversy when they first aired. As a result, they were either heavily edited or completely removed from most streaming and television platforms. These episodes would likely be even more poorly received by audiences today.

“Hell on Earth 2006” Mocks a Then-Recent Death

The South Park episode “Hell on Earth 2006” (Season 10, Episode 11) centers around a Halloween party hosted by Satan. He upsets the Catholic Church by accidentally leaving them off the guest list. Meanwhile, during his own party, Butters unintentionally summons the ghost of Biggie Smalls, who needs the boys’ help to get to another party at Stan’s house.

As a South Park fan, I always felt a little uncomfortable with the “Hell on Earth 2006” episode. It’s one of the more controversial ones, and honestly, it’s not because of anything super outrageous. They featured Steve Irwin, and the episode made jokes about his death. Considering he’d only passed away a month before the episode aired, it just felt really insensitive and the humor didn’t quite land for me. It came across as callous, rather than funny.

“200” & “201” Led to Death Threats

Episodes 200 and 201 from Season 14 center around a lawsuit filed against South Park and its citizens. Tom Cruise and other celebrities sue the town for being constantly mocked. Cruise offers to drop the suit if the residents can arrange a meeting with Muhammad, which predictably leads to widespread chaos.

The South Park episodes “200” and “201” are famous, but for all the wrong reasons. While the show consistently provokes controversy, this two-part story sparked outrage due to its portrayal of Muhammad, leading to death threats against South Park, its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and the Comedy Central network.

The episodes “200” and “2001” later won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, but looking back, it’s unlikely they would have been broadcast given the strong reaction they initially caused.

2025-12-03 18:44