Not everyone is open about using psychedelics, but you may be surprised by how many people — including your favorite TV show creators — have been inspired by them. Psychedelic trips have appeared on TV for decades, from scenes explicitly about shrooms or acid to those that present them under the guise of peppers, berries, and other everyday plants.
Here are a few of the most iconic TV scenes that were inspired by psychedelics. Watch them next time you’re coming down from a mushroom trip and need a pleasant activity, or while sober just to understand the multitude of psychedelic experiences people can have, from navigating tunnels and wormholes to extraterrestrial travel.
In a scene that’s extremely relatable to many mushroom enthusiasts, Ilana and Abby enter a cartoon world and express musings such as, “Tunnels are so intense. They’re a microcosm of the whole planet!”
Rick and Morty: The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy
Jerry is shot with a bullet that sends him down a wormhole, where he has visions of humans with horns and other strange creatures, then wrestles with a lion before concluding: “I’m time! I’m literally time!”
In this episode, Kenny gets high off cat pee of all things and ends up on another planet where he’s greeted by a mysterious woman. It’s not recommended to try this at home.
Mushrooms with unusual abilities are practically a trope within science fiction, reaching shows as mainstream as The X Files. After Mulder drives through a field of mushrooms that release their spores into a cloud he then inhales, reality and hallucinations bleed together as he discovers alien abductees in a cave.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: The Gang Gets Invincible
Frank drops acid at a tailgate party and puts some into Charlie’s beer as well. Madness obviously ensues.
The Simpsons: The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer
After Homer ingests a hallucinogenic pepper, he ends up in a very strange desert where he gets trampled by a butterfly, ends up with a snake wrapped around him, and ultimately breaks the sun itself. “Note to self: stop doing anything,” he concludes — wise words for anyone who’s tripping that hard.
Daria: The Teachings of Don Jake
When Helen and Jake wax philosophical and then begin to hallucinate on a hike, Daria realizes they’ve consumed hallucinogenic berries.
In an attempt to cure his depression, Gene begins microdosing mushrooms — then increases his dose until he’s informing a turtle, “your shell is part of your skeleton, but it’s also your home!”
A man warns Domino not to buy mushrooms with the cautionary tale: “My older brother ate a mushroom that he bought from you, and then he laughed until he twisted his intestines to death.” (What a way to die!) It’s the dog who eventually eats them, then starts hopping like a bunny.
