Paramount has banned five South Park episodes & there’s only one way to watch them

Oh my god, they killed South Park! Just kidding, although there are five banned episodes that didn’t survive the migration to Paramount Plus, and there’s only one (official) way to watch them. 

No doubt you’ve noticed Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s animated series is no longer on HBO Max. That’s because, after a long-drawn-out bidding war, they finally signed a deal with Paramount, making it the streaming home of South Park. 

As of July 2025, all 26 seasons of the show are available on the brand’s streaming service, while new episodes of Season 27 land there the day after they air on Comedy Central. 

Prior to the move, many fans had one question: will Paramount Plus air the infamous banned South Park episodes? Now we know.

The South Park episodes banned from Paramount Plus

Comedy Central

There are five episodes you won’t find on Paramount plus, and it’s all for one reason: they show (or discuss) the Muslim prophet Muhammad, which is deeply offensive within Islamic teaching and deemed too controversial for mainstream streaming platforms. 

Before you start writing to Paramount, these episodes were also not available for streaming on HBO Max. They are as follows: 

• Season 5 Episode 3 – ‘Super Best Friends’
• Season 10 Episode 3 – ‘Cartoon Wars Part I’
• Season 10 Episode 4 – ‘Cartoon Wars Part II’
• Season 14 Episode 5 – ‘200’
• Season 14 Episode 6 – ‘201’

‘Super Best Friends’ first aired in 2001, and saw David Blaine starting a Scientology-style cult. Stan teams up with Jesus and calls for help from the Super Best Friends, consisting of Buddha, Moses, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Laozi, Sea Man, and Muhammad.

Although it went unnoticed at the time, the episode was pulled when ‘200’ and ‘201’ dropped in 2010. 

Comedy Central

But first, let’s look at the two-part Cartoon Wars saga. These 2006 episodes satirize network censorship while simultaneously ripping Family Guy, with the plot centering on Cartman’s attempts to get the show canceled over its promises to show Muhammad.

Comedy Central did eventually air the second episode showing the prophet, only with a black title card over him to cover up the depiction. Even so, they’re deemed too divisive for streaming. 

But the milestone episodes ‘200’ and ‘201’ are really what got people talking. They brought back a huge roster of celebrities South Park had previously roasted, who sue the town. 

Tom Cruise promises to end the lawsuit if the residents can arrange a meetup with Muhammad. While there are multiple depictions, in the versions that were aired, he’s once again covered in a blackout box that says ‘censored’. 

Kyle also gives a speech about the effectiveness of threats and violence, but this was later entirely censored with a continuous audio bleep (which only reinforces the satire on censorship). 

Despite the creators receiving death threats from religious groups, ‘200’ and ‘201’ are widely considered to be the best South Park episodes of all time. 

The one way to watch banned South Park episodes

Comedy Central

Right now, the only way to watch them is on DVD. Yes, good old physical media. You can buy the full Seasons 1-26 box set at Walmart right now for $125, or you can buy standalone seasons for much cheaper. 

Of course, you can find certain clips from these episodes on YouTube and the full versions do appear online every now and then, but since the latter is illegal, they soon get taken down. 

So, while you can’t stream them reliably, you can always bank on physical media if you want to revisit these key episodes in South Park’s history. 

Find out when the next episode drops with our guide to the South Park Season 27 release schedule. You can also check out how to watch the South Park Trump PSA and find new TV shows streaming this month.