South Park: Randy's Best Episodes Of All Time

Since its debut in 1997, "South Park" has been one of the funniest, and most politically incorrect, animated shows on TV. The brainchild of college friends and writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone, as of 2023, "South Park" has been the recipient of five Primetime Emmys and spanned more than 300 episodes. Fans of the show love its raunchy humor, incredible wit, and ability to stay relevant and current even through an ever-changing pop culture landscape.

The show mainly revolves around the lives of a group of elementary school boys, but undoubtedly, one of the funniest characters on the show is the Marsh family patriarch: Randy Marsh (Trey Parker). As the father of protagonist Stan Marsh and his sister Shelly and the husband to Sharon, Randy is one of the most outlandish people on the entire show. For the first 21 seasons of the show, Randy worked primarily as a geologist, but starting in Season 22 he began working as a marijuana farmer on the Tegridy Weed farm.

Randy is widely known for his penchant for alcohol, his short temper, as well as his relative naivete and gullibility. Still, he is one of the most beloved characters on the show and an integral part of the "South Park" franchise. Looking back, from "Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub" to "The Cissy," these are the best Randy episodes of all time.

For longtime fans of "South Park," there is absolutely no forgetting Season 11's "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson." It is one of the show's most controversial episodes, but also one of the funniest, and the episode revolves around Randy Marsh's appearance on the show "Wheel of Fortune."

Randy has to complete a puzzle, and he is given the letters to the word "naggers," minus the a. Unfortunately, trying to solve the puzzle, he says a racial slur live on television. The host quickly informs Randy of his error, but it's way too late. Randy hilariously tries to explain it away to his son, Stan, by saying he only said it because he thought he was going to make a lot of money, but Stan is not having it. The majority of the episodes revolves around Randy feeling upset and ostracized for his public use of the N-word, failing to understand the irony that his very use of the word caused those feelings for others.

While the gratuitous use of the N-word is certainly a blemish, it's definitely one of Randy's best episodes. He never learns his lesson about why the use of the word is wrong, and his elementary school-aged son Stan actually shows more maturity and racial awareness. It's truly Randy at his best: naive, ignorant, and completely missing the point. 

Undoubtedly, one of the most hilarious Randy Marsh episodes in "South Park” is "Medicinal Fried Chicken" from Season 14. Randy is elated when he discovers that marijuana dispensaries have made their way to South Park, but is then bitterly disappointed once he realizes they're restricted only to medical patients. To obtain a medical marijuana card, Randy experiments with various different ways to give himself cancer, finally achieving so by microwaving his testicles.

With massively radiated testicles that he transports around in a wheelbarrow, Randy is finally able to obtain his medical marijuana license, and he begins visiting the dispensary. The rest of "Medicinal Fried Chicken" has Randy smoking obscene amounts of marijuana while his testicles become more and more inflamed, eventually allowing him to bounce around on them like a hoppity hop inflatable toy. From start to finish, the episode is one giant laugh, and Randy provides the best moments. 

From initially trying to give himself cancer by smoking, sun tanning, and undergoing radiation, to later using his testicles like a sit and bounce, it's hard to think of a more over-the-top depiction of the Marsh family patriarch. "Medicinal Fried Chicken" will forever be one of Randy's greatest episodes, even if he has to give up his giant testicles for prosthetic ones in the end.

In one of his greatest roles of all time, in Season 15's "Broadway Bro Down," Randy Marsh finds himself producing and writing plays to procure oral sex from his wife, Sharon Marsh (April Stewart). After hearing about the aphrodisiac qualities of the Broadway play "Wicked," Randy takes Sharon there, and she performs oral sex on him afterward, leading him to eventually write and produce his own shows to keep the ruse going.

Yet he hilariously does not realize the subtlety of the other plays and writes an extremely raunchy and graphic play that does not hide his intentions at all. Real-life Broadway composers Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Elton John show up in South Park to chastise him about his lack of subtext, resulting in a huge "bro-down" between them. Eventually, Randy and them bond over beer at Hooters, and he writes the hilarious new play "The Woman in White," which is full of songs urging women to perform oral sex.

"Broadway Bro Down" truly shows Randy at his sleaziest: willing to do whatever he can to trick his wife into pleasuring him. Yet he gets upset when he finds out his own daughter (also voiced by Stewart) is attending "Wicked" with a male friend (Larry, voiced by Matt Stone), causing him to commit homicide and destroy the play. It's quintessential Randy: seedy, naive, and ignorant.

While much of the plot centers around Eric Cartman and his issues with gender identity and expression, there is no doubt that the Season 18 episode of "South Park" called "The Cissy" is also one of Randy Marsh's best. In it, Randy reveals himself to be famous singer-songwriter Lorde, working with the record label to use her image as a cover. Obviously, the real Lorde is a twentysomething woman from New Zealand, making this one of the most outlandish — and hilarious — leaps of faith in the "South Park" universe.

The highlight of the episode is when Randy explains his true identity as Lorde to his incredulous son, Stan Marsh (voiced by Trey Parker). After explaining that he created Lorde to avoid using the men's bathroom after his co-worker Nelson, Randy proceeds to show Stan how he writes a Lorde song. He starts with a basic vocal line before manipulating it and adding drums and various effects to create a song about "feeling good on a Wednesday," causing Stan to faint once he realizes Randy's not lying.

The whole Lorde angle definitely makes "The Cissy" one of Randy's best episodes of all time. It's such a bizarre premise, and the episode's hilarious Lorde parody song "Push," sung by Sia, makes it unforgettable.

The Season 9 episode "The Losing Edge" is old-school "South Park" and one of the earlier episodes dedicated largely to Randy Marsh. While the episode is supposed to be about his son Stan Marsh and his little league team, Randy constantly takes over almost every scene with his drunken behavior. While Stan and his friends are on the field playing ball, Randy is in the stands heckling the opposing team (of young children) and challenging their fathers to fistfights in the stands. 

It all culminates in a final fight with the rival Bat Dad, another intoxicated buffoon from an opposing team, which Randy manages to finally win. There are so many classic Randy memes in "The Losing Edge." From him always taking off his shirt and asking "What do you wanna do?" to him routinely getting arrested and telling the cops "I'm sorry, I thought this was America" in defense of drunkenly fighting other dads at Little League. 

In a hilarious twist, Stan is actually on board with Randy's fighting, as he wants his teams to forfeit the games so they'll lose and he won't have to keep playing. It's the one time Randy's complete selfishness actually benefits Stan and his friends, making this an all-time great Randy episode.

There are so many reasons that Season 13's "Pinewood Derby" is one of the best "South Park" episodes ever, and Randy Marsh is at the top of the list. In order to help his son Stan Marsh win the Pinewood Derby contest against the Hollis family, which Randy cares about but Stan doesn't, Randy disguises himself as the fictional Princess Leia from "Star Wars." As Leia, he breaks into the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and steals a superconductor that allows their derby car to achieve warp speed.

Once the town is visited by extraterrestrials over their discovery of warp speed, Randy takes over and becomes a representative for the entire world, but he can't stop lying. He goads Stan into murdering an alien — Baby Fark McGee-Zax (voiced by Trey Parker) — and he almost single-handedly ensures that Earth is never able to enter a super secret intergalactic federation. He's obsessed with no one discovering that they used any non-approved items to achieve warp speed, and he hilariously insists they didn't cheat — which they very clearly did.

Some of the best moments are when he is on the phone with all of the world leaders and he persuades them to nuke Finland after they want to come clean to the Space Cops, or when he teaches Stan how to lie to the police about the derby car. Truly an unforgettable Randy episode.

"Two Guys Naked in a Hot Tub" is one of the earliest "South Park" episodes about Randy Marsh, appearing in Season 3. Much of the episode revolves around his son Stan Marsh and is a parody of the infamous Waco Siege, but Randy and Gerald Broflovski (voiced by Matt Stone) have a hilarious secondary plot. The two find themselves alone in a hot tube together at a party, when they casually decide to pleasure themselves in front of each other. However, Randy later begins to question his sexuality, and he becomes upset at Gerald for telling people at the party about the incident.

Later, Randy starts asking people hypothetical questions about homosexuality, which creates incredibly awkward moments and conversations. The episode shows Randy being incredibly ignorant and obtuse about sexuality, and his insecurities regarding his and Gerald's relationship truly show how ridiculous his character (and the entire plot) truly is. His only relief comes when he realizes that most of the other men at the party had done something similar, and he feels like he is able to fit in again. It's truly a hilarious episode and one of the best of early Randy.

It's definitely one of the more disgusting and gross episodes of "South Park," but Season 11's "More Crap" is the ultimate Randy Marsh episode. The episode revolves around Randy's quest to gain a Guinness World Record for having the largest bowel movement — which should tell you pretty much all you need to know. He starts eating a diet primarily consisting of P.F. Chang's to break the existing record, only to later find out the lead singer of U2, Bono, is actually a living pile of feces and the official record himself.

The entire episode is amazing, starting with Randy acting like taking a huge bowel movement is actually some sort of accomplishment. His doctors start treating the massive fecal deposit inside him as if it was a child, giving him ultrasounds and talking about it being in the "turd trimester." The only one not enthused is his wife, Sharon, who thinks the entire thing is stupid and disgusting.

Still, Randy manages to beat the record in the end by defecating a bowel movement the size equivalent of 100 Katie Courics — the official rating system he gets from the European Fecal Standards and Measurements office. From start to finish, the episode is amazing and irreverent and definitely one of the best Randy episodes ever.

In "South Park's" Season 12 episode "Over Logging," we see Randy Marsh at perhaps his lowest: without internet access but desperate to watch internet pornography. The internet goes out in South Park — and all over the world — leaving the Marsh family without access to email, video games, and most unfortunately for Randy, dirty videos. He ends up taking the entire family out "Californee-way" (California) to an internet refugee camp where they're rationing the internet at 40 seconds per person, all just to do the deed.

At one point, he breaks into the shed housing the computer connected to the internet, successfully pleasuring himself, but covering himself and the entire tent in semen in the process. In a vain effort to deflect blame, Randy tries to feign as if a "spooky ghost" had just exploded in the tent, which predictably no one believes. It's definitely one of the most disgusting and disturbing moments in "South Park" history, but also one of the most truly hilarious.

It's one of the few episodes where Randy actually learns a lesson in the end, though that doesn't preclude him from vowing to heavily watch pornography in the future. It's one of Randy's best performances and will always be a top episode.

Culinary fans of "South Park" undoubtedly remember the episode "Crème Fraîche" from Season 14, and it's also one of Randy Marsh's best. In "Crème Fraîche," Randy takes up cooking as a hobby after constantly watching various programs on the "Food Network," which turn strangely erotic when he watches them by himself. It gets to the point where his wife ends up blocking the channel on their TV, causing Randy to call the Food Network hotline, which is a sensual hotline where they describe food instead of sex.

He is intent on making all kinds of new food for himself and the family, but he always neglects to do the dishes, telling Sharon that since he cooked, they should clean, much to her chagrin. Randy later takes a job at his son's school and finds himself in a cooking competition with Gordon Ramsay and other celebrity chefs. However, he gives up after making love with his wife, which then causes him to immediately lose interest in cooking and return to his job as a geologist.

"Crème Fraîche" is another quintessential Randy episode. It has everything that makes the character so funny, like his ability to turn anything into a sexual reference, but also shows how willing he is to drop everything and change his life in an instant. Prime Randy.

"Bloody Mary" from Season 9 is another top Randy Marsh episode for so many reasons. While Randy is often seen as a frequent drinker of alcohol, in "Bloody Mary" he finds himself arrested for a DUI while giving his son and his friends a ride home from karate practice. Forced to start attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings by a judge, Randy soon begins to believe that he is completely powerless over alcohol and unable to stop drinking.

He shaves his head and starts rolling around in a wheelchair, acting as if he's lost the use of his legs due to his drinking. That is until he hears about a miracle at a local statue of the Virgin Mary, which is shooting blood out its rectum, and people start believing it can cure disease. Randy uses the statue to cure his drinking problem, even though he later realizes it was just an illusion.

In the end, Randy realizes that moderating his drinking would be beneficial, and he decides to do so for the future. It's one of the few episodes where Randy actually confronts his drinking, and on top of that, the entire episode is hilarious.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

A true blast from the past, "South Park's" Season 16 episode "A Nightmare on Facetime" has a little bit of everything. It parodies both Blockbuster video and "The Shining," with Randy Marsh taking on the persona of Jack Nicholson's Jack Torrance from the latter. Randy buys a Blockbuster video store for a cheap price, not realizing that streaming services and Redbox machines have largely made the store's business model obsolete. As no one enters the store, he starts seeing ghosts and having hallucinations, mirroring the experiences of Jack at the Overlook Hotel. A ghost in the form of a former Blockbuster employee starts trying to convince him to kill his wife, which he tries and fails at.

"A Nightmare on Facetime" is one of the most memorable "South Park" parody episodes, and Randy's character is what truly makes it hilarious. His increasing frustration gets funnier and funnier as he desperately tries to prove that buying the Blockbuster was a good idea. He ends the episode covered in frost and freezing in the snow, realizing his venture with Blockbuster has conclusively failed. The entire episode is classic "South Park," and Randy is the perfect parody for Jack Torrance in "The Shining."