South Park: Ranking Every Season From Worst To Best

11. Season 4 (2000)

Perhaps Trey Parker and Matt Stone sensed that South Park needed a shake-up after Season 3 proved to be much the same as the first two, and without a marked rise in humor or narrative. So in the first great change to the show's universe, they decided to advance the boys from 3rd to 4th grade, where they've remained ever since. Maybe the eventual series finale will reveal that the town is traveling at near-light speed relative to viewers, the only plausible scientific explanation.

Moving the boys up a grade introduces us to the disgusting Ms. Choksondik, but more importantly, it creates room for Mr. Garrison's continued development. He hits some real high points in Season 4, notably his gay erotica novel from Cherokee Hair Tampons and his hermit lifestyle in 4th Grade. That said, the best change introduced is Timmy. He's never been a major character on the show, but his appearances are always hilarious, and he stars in two amazing episodes in his debut season: Timmy 2000 and Helen Keller! The Musical. Timmy's disability is accepted at face value by the other boys and doesn't cause them to treat him any differently. For a show that consistently uses the word "retarded," South Park's wholesale inclusion of Timmy is the clearest indication of its heart.

Season 4 is important in the show's history, and it has its fair share of classic episodes, but there's also a number of fillers that hold it down, like Quintuplets 2000 and Pip, which just emphasized the fact that Pip was far worse in the bitch role where Butters would eventually thrive.

Best Episode: Timmy 2000

Worst Episode: Pip