7 darkest episodes from South Park

Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park is famous for its dark humor, exaggerated plot points, and jaw-dropping moments. But sometimes, the misadventures of the main group (Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick) become so extreme that even long-time fans struggle to keep up.

The show isn't afraid to address controversial topics like racism, extremism, and sometimes even cannibalism, pushing the limits of comedy to uncomfortable levels. As a result, it has sparked numerous controversies over its nearly thirty-year run, with episodes like Scott Tenorman Must Die and Dead Kids.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. Spoilers for South Park ahead. The list is in no particular order.

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Free Willzyx, Scott Tenorman Must Die, and other dark South Park episodes

1) Stanley's Cup (Season 10, episode 14)

This episode of South Park has the perfect recipe for a sports drama: a reluctant coach in Stan who gets roped into training a Pee-Wee hockey team, the underdog to stardom pipeline, and someone worth fighting for in a kid named Nelson, who is in the hospital being treated for cancer.

However, things quickly take a dark turn. On the day of the game scheduled during the intermission of the Detroit Red Wings vs. the Colorado Avalanche, the opposing team fails to show up. Stan becomes increasingly worried that Nelson might die if his team loses, so the Red Wings step in and play against the young boys. As expected, the pros destroy them and celebrate with a victory dance to We Are the Champions by Queen.

The worst part? The scene is contrasted with young Nelson dying in the hospital. This is one of the darkest episodes in South Park because it went beyond their usual formula for discomfort and became just too sad to watch or stomach.

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2) Scott Tenorman Must Die (Season 5, episode 4)

The crew at the chili cook-off (Image via South Park Studios)

Things get heated between Eric Cartman and his classmate Scott Tenorman after Scott convinces Cartman to buy pubic hairs for $10. To make matters worse, he humiliates Cartman by making him sing about being a "little piggy." However, simple pranks, like turning a Radiohead interview into a joke and exposing the Piggy song video, go way too far during the chili cook-off.

While Scott decides to prank Eric with a chili infested with pubic hair, Eric puts cut-up pieces of Scott's deceased parents into his chili and watches him eat it before revealing the truth. The reveal is shocking, sudden, and too controversial even for hardcore South Park fans. Though it is one of the most iconic and loved episodes, it is jarring and horrific, showing Cartman embracing his true evil nature.

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3) Dead Kids (Season 22, episode 1)

The parents discussing the school shooting (Image via Comedy Central)

The reason this is one of the darkest episodes in South Park has less to do with the school shooting premise and more to do with how the town responds to it. In a chilling turn of events, people go on with their daily lives. Cartman is more worried about his classmate Token Black being mad at him for not liking Black Panther than about almost getting shot.

Stan's mother Sharon's outrage is chalked up to her menstrual cycle, and by the end of the episode (three shootings later), her panic simmers into nonchalance too. The episode is a commentary on the rising school shootings in the United States, and it hits too close to home to be just entertainment.

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4) Free Willzyx (Season 9, episode 13)

The crew tries to save an orca whale (Image via South Park Studios)

Convinced that a captive orca whale named Jambu wants to be liberated and sent home to the moon, the crew stages a "rescue operation" that spirals out of control. World leaders, Clyde's backyard swimming pools, and several attempts to stop them later, they launch the sea creature into space, and celebrate their achievement. The episode ends with the asphyxiated Jambu dead on the moon.

While South Park has always been about interspersing socio-political commentary with a silly premise, this episode got a bit too dark, especially because it showed humankind's ignorance about nature and strong-arming the planet into surrendering to our whims and fancies. Combine that with the plot heavily inspired by the beloved movie Free Willy, and it is unbearable to watch the events unfold.

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5) Cartman Joins NAMBLA (Season 4, episode 5)

Cartman enters an online chat room (Image via South Park Studios)

Cartman seeks more adult friendships after declaring he is too mature to hang out with Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. The result? He joins NAMBLA, a p*dophilic association that makes him the poster child of their organization. The episode gets increasingly uncomfortable and shockingly humorous, as the group throws a banquet in his name and makes him invite all the young boys in town.

An FBI raid puts an end to this unnecessary misadventure. Still, before that, several instances of horrific p*dophilic activities are evident throughout, making this one of the darkest episodes of South Park. Although the episode succeeds in hitting the sweet spot of jarring satire, the realization that NAMBLA is a real-life organization is one major reason for viewers' discomfort.

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6) The Return of Chef (Season 10, episode 1)

Chef joins Super Adventure Club (Image via South Park Studios)

The season 10 opener is one of the darkest episodes of South Park because of what happened behind the scenes. Isaac Hayes, who voiced Chef, left the show after feeling that his religious beliefs as a Scientologist were mocked in Trapped in the Closet (Season 9, episode 12). Showrunners Trey and Matt pushed the joke further by bringing Chef back for a final episode.

This time, they used Isaac Hayes' existing audio clips to stitch together the character's story arc about joining a "Super Adventure Club". The crew finds out they hypnotize little boys and have s*x with them, which Chef tries to do with them. The episode revolves around trying to get him out of the club, only for Chef to die of a lightning strike and be resurrected as Darth Chef by his club members.

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7) HUMANCENTiPAD (Seaspm 15, episode 1)

Steve Jobs unveils the new Apple product (Image via South Park Studios)

South Park tackles how technology takes over people's lives in the season 15 opener. In an obvious parody of Apple and its supposedly invasive terms and conditions, the show depicts sneaky Apple agents kidnapping Kyle and turning him into part of a human centipede experiment with two others.

Meanwhile, Cartman accuses his mother of s*xual assault when she refuses to buy him an iPad. The dark undertones of the show become more obvious because it is based on real-life scenarios rooted in current socio-cultural or political issues, which makes the humor and shock factor hit harder. Including one of the grossest scenes in the show, aka Kyle eating human feces, cements this episode's infamy.

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Watch all episodes of South Park on Paramount+.