South Park's Worst Episodes, According To Creators Matt Stone And Trey Parker

Since its premiere on Comedy Central in 1997, "South Park" has served as one of the definitive pieces of American satire for nearly 30 years. Created by Emmy winners Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the adult animated sitcom has spawned 27 seasons comprising over 300 episodes, one theatrical film, and several video games. "South Park" is one of Paramount's most valuable franchises, with Parker and Stone inking a staggering new deal with the media conglomerate earlier this summer that entails 50 new episodes over the next five years.

After three decades of telling stories in the most hilariously ridiculous fictional American town in modern television history, Parker and Stone admit that not every episode is a winner, and the creators aren't shy about their picks for the worst episodes of "South Park." Sure, comedy is subjective, but given that the duo's creative vision spans every single episode, there are a few notable episodes they would like to disavow. In particular, the first three seasons are not held in high regard by the creators, with Parker expressing to Entertainment Weekly that if given the opportunity, he would erase them.

Along with the entirety of the first three seasons, Parker and Stone's five least favorite episodes hail from the fourth, seventh, and 10th seasons of "South Park." The two episodes from Season 4 are "Chef Goes Nanners" and "Pip." The former episode follows Chef (Isaac Hayes), who protests against the town's blatantly racist flag, which most of the ignorant locals defend as part of their heritage. Stone reflected on writing the episode, lamenting that it was "half-baked," recalling that the team was eager to leave the office early due to it being Independence Day. 

As for "Pip," this particular episode has been universally reviled by fans, given that it centers on one of the most-disliked characters from the series and does not feature the four main boys. Pip would eventually be permanently killed off from the series in the controversial episode "201."

Parker and Stone also cite the Season 7 episode, "South Park is Gay!" as one of their least favorite. The episode satirizes the reality show, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," and features a surprise twist that the "Queer Eye" team was "crab people" seeking world domination. Regarding the decision in the writers' room to conclude the episode with this specific reveal, Parker reflected, "It's like, you just know there's something better, but you can't think of it, and now you've just got to go with crab people."

The two final episodes that the "South Park" creators consider among their worst are found in Season 10. In particular, "A Million Little Fibers," which centers on recurring character Towelie, is widely panned by critics and fans alike, being the lowest-ranked episode on IMDb. Given some of the episode's crudest gags involving Oprah Winfrey, Parker and Stone both lament that such gags were wasted on an episode that did not feature the four boys. 

Lastly, "Stanley's Cup" rounds out the series creators' list of worst episodes. The episode follows Stan Marsh as he unwittingly leads a Pee Wee hockey team to a darkly comedic defeat. Both Parker and Stone acknowledge that while many may find the episode to be woefully bleak, they found the ending to be unique and worthwhile, although Parker laments that "nobody really got it."