Since its last season ended in March 2023, South Park has concentrated on extended length “specials”. For the most recent of these, we head to May 2024’s The End of Obesity.

When Eric Cartman (voiced by Trey Parker) gets a warning from a doctor that his poundage threatens his overall help, the fourth grader receives a recommendation to take Ozempic, a diabetes medication that also helps with weight loss. Unfortunately, insurance only covers the drug for diabetics and his mother Liane (April Stewart) can’t afford it.

Not one to accept defeat, Cartman decides to pursue Ozempic come heck or high water. Along with his pals, Cartman does whatever it takes to get the medication and shed weight.

As I mentioned when I reviewed 2023’s (Not Suitable For Children, South Park never met an easy target it didn’t like. A lot of this can feel like low-hanging fruit, a trend that felt tedious in Children given that program’s mockery of online influencers, that easiest of easy targets.

Going into End, I assumed it would take aim at the “painless route” to weight loss that some accuse Ozempic and other drugs of being. And to some degree this proves correct, but not to the tedious extreme I anticipated.

In addition to the Cartman side of the tale, End shows how the moms in South Park use Ozempic solely to shed their middle-aged bellies. Randy Marsh (Parker) gets caught up with them as well when he misunderstands the usefulness of the drug.

This subplot adheres more to the view of Ozempic as an “easy out”, and I agree with it. Plenty of people who don’t need to lose weight use it so they can knock off a few pounds without effort, and Obesity throws quality barbs at that entitled laziness.’

Even though Obesity does act to fulfill an agenda of sorts, it seems lighter and friskier than recent South Park efforts. Those tend to nag the viewer with obvious points.

Obesity manages to avoid the smug pedantic vibe of its peers. While it definitely pursues its social commentary, it does so in a way that doesn’t badger the viewer.

This makes it more clever and engaging than any South Park I’ve seen in a while. It also feels awfully timely in the manner it goes after health insurance companies.

I didn’t expect that tangent, as I thought Obesity would concentrate entirely on its criticism of those who use Ozempic. Instead, it digs heavily into the crumminess of the US health system, and it generates some good zings in that domain.

Obesity also allows Cartman to give us some of the funnier South Park moments in a while. It exploits his gluttony for humor and also amuses due to the fact he only wants to lose weight so he can insult others and they can no longer mock his girth.

Not everything here works, especially when we see the involvement of “Big Cereal”. This feels like an excuse just to show mascots like Cap’n Crunch in unseemly settings and milk some shock value.

Still, even with that misstep, I like Obesity. It offers a reminder why I became a South Park fan in the first place and winds up as a largely clever and funny exploration of its subject matter.

South Park: The End of Obesity appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.78:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. As usual, the program looked great.

Sharpness worked well at all times. This meant accurate, well-defined elements throughout the episodes.

No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.

The series went with the usual basic palette of primary colors, and these looked solid. The tones appeared vivid and bright.

Blacks felt deep and dense, while shadows seemed smooth and clear. The Blu-ray replicated the show well.

As for the program’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio, it appeared comparable to prior South Park endeavors, so no one should expect a particularly expansive soundfield. Outside of a few “action-oriented” scenes – which occurred infrequently – the audio oriented toward music and general atmosphere.

In those domains, the soundscape seemed satisfactory. Though never memorable, the material worked fine given the parameters.

Audio quality felt good, with dialogue that remained natural and concise. Music showed good pep and clarity.

Effects came across as accurate and rich, without distortion or other issues. Nothing here impressed, but the sound suited the program.

No extras appear on the Blu-ray.

After a long string of less than clever efforts, South Park finally bounces back with The End of Obesity. While the program doesn’t click like the best South Park, it boasts enough wit and insight to entertain. The Blu-ray brings the usual excellent visuals and positive audio but it lacks bonus materials. Obesity shows that South Park still can rise to the occasion at times.