14-Year-Old South Park Episode That’s Shockingly Underrated Wouldn’t Work If It Were Made Today

There are so many now South Park episodes that there are countless installments that are incredibly dated, but one very underappreciated story in particular would make no sense if it premiered in 2024. Already one of the longest-running sitcoms of all time, South Park Has been renewed through season 30 – which will take the show into 2027. So, there will likely be many more episodes that will eventually be out of date. However, that doesn’t stop them from being thoroughly hilarious.

South Park has become known for its impressively short production time and unapologetic comedic style through the decades. The list of the best South Park All-time episodes don’t tend to change that much these days, suggesting the show will struggle to beat most of its past efforts. Regardless, that won’t stop co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone from endlessly satirizing current events in the most absurd manner possible—as they’ll continue to do in South Park Season 27 and beyond.

Randy’s storyline in “Medical Fried Chicken” is outdated only 2 years after release

Marijuana was legalized in Colorado shortly after the South Park episode

in South Park Season 14, Episode 3, “Medicine Fried Chicken,” The story revolves around Randy Marsh’s crazy quest to beat testicular cancer To legally access marijuana. The episode first appeared in 2010, and the use of the drug was allowed for medical purposes for about a decade in the real Colorado. However, it is still illegal to use marijuana recreationally. In 2012, Colorado – III South Park is set – became the second US it. State to agree to legalize weed (by Boston University), after Washington. So, Randy’s weird method of acquisition would be even more redundant in the modern day.

Although marijuana is still illegal at the federal level in the US, In the US, many other states have since Colorado’s decision to repeal the laws. If the storyline were to be attempted today, the episode would need to be set in a state where the laws still prohibit the recreational use of weed, but still allow it for those with certain medical conditions. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t make much sense, like South Park Thrives at showing how the city’s residents react to scenarios such as these. If the story unfolded away from Colorado, it just wouldn’t be the same.

Cartman’s KFC story would also have suffered in a contemporary version of the episode

Treating fried chicken as drugs only makes sense if the use of marijuana is limited

Eric Cartman’s brilliant underground junk food arc in “Medicine Fried Chicken” is just as great as Randy’s story. Ascending to the level of fried chicken drug baron after the food was made illegal, Cartman’s plot brilliantly exposes the illogical decision to make marijuana so readily availableBut preventing the purchase of KFC products – driving the distribution of the latter through CD and alternative channels. While it could be argued to be the episode’s B story, it’s just as strong as Randy’s arc.

The beauty of this story is that it perfectly complements Randy’s scenes when he smokes in big-time happiness. The downside of the plot’s symbiosis is that if they were pulled in 2024, Randy’s story wouldn’t happen because he wouldn’t need to go to such extreme measures to get high. Because of this, The whole image of Cartman underhandedly handling KFC as if it’s contraband would lose its efficacy. Unfortunately, this episode was released when everything that is paradise is currently relevant – which is almost always the case with South Park.

“Medicine Fried Chicken” is another brilliant episode

The 2010 installment is still just as funny as it was upon release

Currently ranked in 42nd place in the list of best South Park Episodes On IMDb“Medicine Fried Chicken” with a rating of 8.7/10 further supports the quality of the installment. It may have become a relic of time gone by, like many others South Park episodes, but that’s somehow not affected by how funny the script is. The story does a great job of highlighting all the weird loopholes that could easily be exploited before Colorado legalized marijuana, and also lets fast food take the case.

“Medical Fried Chicken” is filled with hilarious moments that have a tendency to stick in the viewer’s mind. While one of the most memorable may be Randy and his friends bouncing their way through the streets of South Park, the image of him holding his balls to the microwave is equally hard to shake — not to mention Sharon’s “scrotum coat.” Immediately, Cartman snorting a line of chicken skin is a strangely haunting shot. Just because it’s out of context doesn’t mean it is South Park Episode should be forgotten.

Sources: Boston University, IMDb