Our favorite shows tackle every theme imaginable—death, love, joy, anxiety, humor, pretty much anything—depending on what you’re watching. But there’s one theme we’re particularly fond of, and we’ve rounded up some episodes that focus just on that: weed.
We intentionally left off shows that use pot as a main plot device (Weeds) or shows that feature it so much it’s hard to pinpoint one episode (That 70’s Show). Light one up and enjoy the following episodes on your favorite streaming service.
1 – Family Guy, 420
In 420, Brian and Stewie begin a campaign to legalize weed after Brian is busted for drug possession. The campaign finds the support of Quahog, leading to the famous “Bag of Weed” song. As they say, “Oh, you don’t need meth and you don’t need speed; because everything is better with a bag of weed.” For his part in the campaign, Brian was awarded the High Times Stoner of the Year in 2009, the first animated character to do so.
Catch Family Guy on Netflix.
2 – King of the Hill, High Anxiety
High Anxiety found Hank laying off the propane and temporarily smoking the ganja, which lands him in a whole lot of trouble. The episode largely centers around Hank’s reluctance to admit to his family that he’s been smoking, which leads to Hank’s implication in a murder case. He finally admits it and the murder is solved, and because Hank would punish Bobby for his drug use, Bobby is allowed to punish Hank—by banning him from mowing the yard.
Don’t catch King of the Hill on any streaming service—it’s currently not available.
3 – South Park, Medicinal Fried Chicken
When South Park loses its only KFC to a medical marijuana dispensary (really, you only need a Popeye’s), Cartman turns to the black market and becomes the Scarface of fried chicken. The men of South Park, meanwhile, begin giving themselves testicular cancer solely to take advantage of the new medical marijuana phenomenon. Are large, oversized testicles that you can bounce around on worth a joint? Well… Probably.
Catch South Park on Hulu.
4 – The Office, Drug Testing
Dwight finds a half-smoked joint in the parking lot and uses the occasion—and his position as volunteer sheriff deputy—to find the weed-smoking culprit. Michael, being Michael, freaks out that a cigarette he smoked once will cause him to fail the drug tests being passed out, and he pressures Dwight for a clean sample—but not before holding an anti-drug meeting for the whole office showing that he knows nothing about drugs. Jim sums up the episode in one quote: “So, yesterday, Dwight found half a joint in the parking lot—which is unfortunate because, as it turns out, Dwight finding drugs is more dangerous than most people using drugs.”
Catch The Office on Netflix.
5 – Parks and Recreation, The Stakeout
Leslie Knope is probably the most law-abiding citizen around, so you can bet she didn’t take it lightly when a *gasp* marijuana plant was found in one of Pawnee’s community gardens. Leslie then goes on a quest to find the perpetrator, with the suspects ranging from Andy to Tom. Sadly, we never found out who was using the community garden for such nefarious needs.
Catch Parks and Recreation on Hulu.
6 – It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Mac Day
While this episode is less explicitly about weed than the rest on this list, we just couldn’t leave off our favorite cousin, Country Mac. Country Mac, unlike regular Mac, fully embraces his gayness, as well as fully embraces weed. It makes Country Mac quite philosophical—when sharing a joint at the planetarium, he offers the following treatise on God: “Sure, bad things do happen. But what about sunsets, French kisses and the smell of rain? That’s why I believe in God; not because of the things He takes away from us, but because of the things He gives to us.”
Catch It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia on Netflix.
7 – The Simpsons, Weekend at Burnsie’s
In 2002, The Simpsons were tackling a very controversial issue with Weekend at Burnsie’s. Medical marijuana was still a pipe dream for many states, and the episode’s heavy featuring of it led to huge concerns at Fox about backlash. You never actually see Homer smoke weed, and the writers aimed to show both the positive and negative sides of marijuana. It’s safe to say the writers weren’t using it for inspiration, though: staff writer Max Pross said on the Simpsons Complete Thirteenth Season DVD commentary that “it’s one of the most sober writing staffs I’ve ever encountered.”
Catch the Simpsons on Simpsons World.
8 – Broad City, Pu$$y Weed
We’ve all been there—your friend has maintained the weed hookup for so long that you don’t actually have your own connection, which isn’t a problem, until it suddenly is. Pu$$y Weed finds Abbi in that exact situation, and she finds being an adult/finding her own drug connections is a lot harder than you think (or, more likely, just as hard as you think). Broad City captures much more of the marijuana world than just in this one episode, though. According to The Cannabist: “The girls’ marijuana use isn’t a one-off catalyst or a springboard for lesson-learning—or some sort of metaphor for an internal struggle they’re going through; it’s a part of the fabric of the show, part of what makes these characters so strangely lovable and compelling.” [Editor’s Note: We got to hang out with Abbi and Ilana a few years ago, and it was awesome!]
Catch Broad City on Hulu.
