South Park: The End of Obesity
Special number seven takes on the weight loss drug era with the show's usual lack of mercy. When Cartman is denied the new miracle medication because he is not diabetic enough, he and Butters start sourcing it from Canada, and the plot builds to a full Cartman empowerment arc that satirizes body positivity discourse and pharmaceutical gatekeeping at the same time. A Lizzo subplot, where she is rebranded as the face of the drug to make it relatable, drew the loudest headlines and remains the special's boldest swing.
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Special number seven takes on the weight loss drug era with the show’s usual lack of mercy. When Cartman is denied the new miracle medication because he is not diabetic enough, he and Butters start sourcing it from Canada, and the plot builds to a full Cartman empowerment arc that satirizes body positivity discourse and pharmaceutical gatekeeping at the same time. A Lizzo subplot, where she is rebranded as the face of the drug to make it relatable, drew the loudest headlines and remains the special’s boldest swing.
The strongest material is the systemic stuff: the special nails how the drug works, who gets access, and the way an entire economy of food, shame, and celebrity endorsement recalibrates around a single molecule. The Canadian smuggling plot gives it a classic South Park road structure, and the ending, which refuses both the self acceptance and the transformation endings you expect, is funnier for the refusal.
It runs out of steam slightly in the back third, and the Lizzo jokes land harder if you followed the 2023 discourse they reference. But as a snapshot of how quickly Ozempic rewired American culture it is sharper than most journalism on the subject, and Cartman gets one of his best arcs in years. A worthy entry in the specials run.
Seasons
Season guides coming soon.
