Earlier today, South Park announced that the debut of its twenty-seventh season would be delayed. While initially, the press release didn’t reveal why Kenny, Cartman, Stan, and Kyle would be taking a little longer than usual to make landfall, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have added their thoughts on the matter. Thanks to the creative duo not exactly being thrilled with the delay, South Park fans have gotten a better understanding of why the July debut was pushed back and how the recent licensing issues between HBO Max and Paramount+ seemingly has a role to play.
Videos by ComicBook.com
In a new statement from Stone and Parker, the South Park creators shared a response regarding the Comedy Central Press Release and clearly, the pair isn’t happy, “This merger is a sh**show and it’s f’ing up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.” The original premiere date was set for July 9th, but we pushed back to Wednesday, July 23rd, two weeks later. Unfortunately, from this new creator statement, it’s hard to know if South Park’s twenty-seventh season will still arrive this month or if the surreal animated series will arrive at a later date, or at all.
The Licensing Issue
There has been a quiet struggle between Paramount and Warner Bros regarding who houses South Park in its entirety and it seems that fact is spilling over into new episodes. For years, the two streaming platforms have been fighting for the Comedy Central original, with HBO Max previously having a $500 million exclusive in the past. Initially, the HBO Max deal was set to expire earlier last month on June 23rd, but it appeared as though a new deal was struck to allow the show to continue on Warner Bros’ platform. Unfortunately, it seems as though the licensing deal is negatively affecting the series at the moment.
South Park’s twenty-seventh season already has some footage completed, that much we do know. Thanks to a new trailer released, fans of the sleepy Colorado town had the chance to get a sneak peek on some of the challenges being thrown at the quartet of foul-mouthed youngsters. From plane crashes to P. Diddy to war with Canada, Parker and Stone clearly have quite a bit up their sleeves for this new season.
Previously, South Park transitioned from its normal seasonal releases to specials that explored some wild territory. While the creators haven’t confirmed if the animated series will continue to return to its standard episode structure, fingers crossed that the show will overcome the licensing issues and push forward. With decades of stories under its belt, and the show sometimes taking some time between new entries, South Park doesn’t appear as though a series finale is on the way.
Want to stay updated on the current controversy surrounding Kyle, Kenny, Stan, and Cartman? Follow along with ComicBook.com for all the latest updates on South Park and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Focus Features.
