South Park: Every banned episode from the animated sitcom

For almost 30 years, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have pushed the boundaries of social commentary and comedy in South Park. From chilling episodes about school shootings and animal conservation to taking on world-famous celebrities and politicians, the show uses dark humor as a vehicle to make a mark in television. This means that some episodes have been banned from airing.

The award-winning animated show got into trouble in the past for encroaching on sensitive territory and offending religious sentiments. Their running gag with Prophet Muhammad in particular was the most targeted, with the ban on episodes like 200 and 201 cascading onto other episodes too. However controversial the show has been since its premiere, only 6 episodes have been banned so far.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. Spoilers for South Park ahead.

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200, 201, and other controversial South Park episodes that got banned

1) An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig (Season 1, episode 5)

Shelley goes to extreme lengths to bully her brother, Stan (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

When the crew gets assigned a class project on genetic engineering, they force Kyle's pet elephant to crossbreed with Eric's pet pig. On the home front, Stan's older sister Shelley poses a problem, as she keeps beating Stan up. It is a witty commentary on the questionable ethics of genetic engineering, with a dash of nostalgia inspired by Trey Parker's dynamics with his own sister named Shelley.

The episode is hailed as one of the earliest successes that cemented South Park as a comedy sensation. However, a Beavis and Butt-Head episode, titled Comedians, saw the characters set fire to a comedy club. This led to a five-year-old setting his house on fire in real life and killing his infant sister after copying what he saw on TV.

With Shelley repeatedly setting Stan on fire, networks feared another copycat violence and edited it out. However, the episode is available to stream even today.

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2) 200 & 201 (Season 14, episodes 5 and 6)

The quartet and the town get into trouble with Tom Cruise (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

Apart from An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig, every banned South Park episode ties back to religious comedy that backfired on Parker and Stone. The show's milestone 200th episode in 2010 is a prime example. The premise brings back one of the best running gags: Celebrity parodies. An enraged Tom Cruise decides to sue the town after his reputation is tarnished, and is joined by other celebrities.

From Kanye West to Mel Gibson, the show brought back several favorites, but things derailed when fictional Cruise insisted on meeting Prophet Muhammad if the town wanted him to drop the lawsuit. A radical religious organization named Revolution Muslim posted that the showrunners were at risk of being murdered for the episode, which caused Comedy Central to heavily censor most of 201.

When the episode aired, most of it had been cut, with the Prophet's name beeped and his animation blacked out in the DVD releases, too. It caused a huge uproar about freedom of speech, and is still not available in its entirety on streaming platforms or DVD box sets. However, both episodes were nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 2010.

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3) Super Best Friends (Season 5, episode 3)

The show often uses religious figures as a vehicle for satire (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

In one of their usual escapades, Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny join magician David Blaine's cult called the Blaintologists after being enamored by his performance. When Stan realizes that the Blaintologists might not be what they advertised, he tries in vain to stop the others from being indoctrinated. He teams up with the "Super Best Friends," a parody of DC's Super Friends, to attack Blaine.

The Super Best Friends consisted of deities from different religions, including Jesus, Buddha, and Prophet Mohammad. At the time of airing, the episode went completely under the radar, even being appreciated for its comedic timing. However, after the controversy with 200 and 201, the episode was pulled from streaming platforms and online purchases to ensure the showrunners' safety.

The episode was made available in its entirety in the South Park season 5 Blu-Ray and DVD box set.

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4) Cartoon Wars Part 1 & Cartoon Wars Part 2 (Season 10, episodes 3 and 4)

Cartman goes to Hollywood to protest the Family Guy episode (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

In one of the most meta moments on South Park, Cartman travels to Hollywood to get an episode of Family Guy pulled off the air. The reason? The show within the show was set to feature Prophet Muhammad, scaring the people in the United States into thinking they might face retaliation from religious extremists. The episodes caused friction between the showrunners and Comedy Central, even in its early stages.

The dark episodes received vastly positive reviews upon release, with critics praising Stone and Parker for tactfully toeing the line between socio-political issues and humor. The creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, called the episode "Funny and accurate" in a Rolling Stone article published on December 11, 2012.

However, when streaming rights were transferred to HBO Max in 2020, Cartoon Wars 1 and Cartoon Wars 2 were in the list of episodes that did not cut, again going back to the tangible threats from religious groups after 200 and 201 aired. However, they are available for fans to watch in the physical release.

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Banned South Park episodes also vary based on regions. Outside the USA, the show's banned episode list is absent fully in places like the United Kingdom. After the controversy of 200 and 201, Sri Lanka banned the show entirely because it offended their religious sentiments by showing Jesus Christ and Buddha in a comedic light.

The showrunners dig deep into the global socio-political landscape, leading to intense discourse about freedom of speech in the media. Watch all episodes of South Park on Paramount+.