Skip to main content

Celebrate 20 seasons of ‘South Park’ with our 15 favorite episodes

Editor’s note: South Park is full of inappropriate jokes and language, some of which is guaranteed to be offensive. As the show itself warns, this content “should not be viewed by anyone.”

As South Park nears an incredible 20 years of crude, animated humor, we can’t help but look back and appreciate the show’s unique blend of timely satire and purposely inappropriate jokes. Each year creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker return with timely material (largely written by Parker) as only they can deliver (see 6 Days to Air to find out why), cleverly skewering celebrities, pop culture, and everything else under the sun.

The nature of South Park makes it difficult to identify the “best” episodes — ask 10 fans which episode is their favorite and you might get 10 different answers. So, instead, we’ve decided to present the 15 episodes that we consider to be the most memorable. Whether it’s building a storyline that persists through the series (like The Coon) or simply making some incisive — and hilarious — commentary about a popular fad (like Chinpokomon), each of these episodes truly embodies the ridiculous brilliance that is South Park.

Nick Hastings
Former Staff Writer, Home Theater
Nick is a Portland native and a graduate of Saint Mary's College of California with a Bachelor's of Communication. Nick's…
3 underrated movies you need to watch in July 2025
Steven Spielberg on a boat as the Jaws shark is in the background.

July is for the blockbusters. By the end of the month, three of the biggest movies of the year will be in theaters. These include Jurassic World Rebirth, Superman, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Both Jurassic World and Superman are well on their way to making half a billion dollars. Early tracking suggests Fantastic Four will do the same.

The three underrated movies below will not be box office juggernauts. Some are bypassing theaters and premiering directly on streaming. Two of the three are documentaries, including the terrific Jaws @ 50, which details the making of the seminal shark thriller. View the rest of our picks below.

Read more
7 best Superman movies, ranked
Superman readies to fight in Superman.

Superman was the first superhero, but his screen history lacks successful outings. The Man of Steel, an upright do-gooder who is more powerful than any other superhero, has proven difficult to adapt because he's neither terribly conflicted nor all that vulnerable.

James Gunn's Superman is just the latest attempt to tell a story about this character, and not the first one to be a success. We've ranked the long history of Superman movies on screen, narrowing it down to his seven best live-action films:

Read more
2025 Emmy nominations: Severance dominates, Apple TV+ impresses, and more observations
Two people stare at a computer.

The Television Academy rewarded the battle between innies and outies as Severance led the 2025 Emmy nominations with 27. Season 2 of the hit sci-fi drama is the frontrunner to win Outstanding Drama Series. The more impressive feat is the six acting nominations for the principal cast, with Adam Scott and Britt Lower leading the way in the categories for Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series.

Speaking of the lead actor, Scott's toughest competition will be Noah Wyle, who secured a nomination for his portrayal of Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch on The Pitt. It's Wyle's first Emmy nomination since receiving five consecutive nods in the '90s for playing Dr. John Carter on ER. It will be difficult for The Pitt to knock off Severance for Outstanding Drama, but there is an "it's time" narrative for Wyle building that could propel him to the Emmy over Scott.

Read more