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South Park season 27 was initially supposed to premiere on July 9, 2025, but has been delayed due to certain streaming rights issues and legal disputes. Season 26 of the show ended in March 2023, keeping the show’s fans on the edge for over two years. The series features Kenny McCormick, Eric Cartman, Kyle Broflovski, and Stan Marsh, with a couple of seasons closely mirroring real life events.
According to reports by The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s delay has been caused by a dispute over streaming rights, tied to an ongoing merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global. The show creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, released a joint statement on X expressing their disapproval of the change in premiere date.
“THIS MERGER IS A SH*TSHOW AND IT’S F*CKING UP SOUTH PARK. WE ARE AT THE STUDIO WORKING ON NEW EPISODES AND WE HOPE THE FANS GET TO SEE THEM SOMEHOW,” the statement reads.
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South Park will now premiere on July 23, 2025, at 10 pm ET/PT on Comedy Central after a 2 week push in the schedule.
Why has the release of South Park season 27 been delayed? Details explored
South Park is co-owned by Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s company, Park County, with Comedy Central’s parent company, Paramount Global. The two companies are contractually bound by a merger that allows Park County to expand the show’s streaming rights to platforms other than Paramount+.
However, Skydance Media is in the process of acquiring Paramount Global, a deal that was supposed to make RedBird Capital executive Jeff Shell president of Paramount Global after the successful completion of the merger. According to reports by The Hollywood Reporter, Parker and Stone accused Shell and his associates of interfering with South Park’s streaming rights behind their backs.
“We hereby demand that you, Redbird, and Skydance immediately cease your interference. If these activities continue, we will have no choice but to act to both protect our rights and discharge any obligations we may have to the public,” the letter states.
For context, Shell allegedly modified certain terms in the offer provided by Netflix and Warner Bros. in a “manner calculated to benefit Paramount at the expense.” The letter alleged that the executive asked Warner Bros. Discovery to grant Paramount+ exclusive streaming rights for a twelve-month window and shorten their original deal from 10 to 5 years.
HBO Max still has streaming rights to the show due to the ongoing extension, with other seasons available to stream on Paramount+. However, season 27 will premiere on Comedy Central on Wednesday, July 23, while both parent companies come to a mutual agreement with respect to streaming rights for the show.
What is South Park season 27 all about?
South Park is known for adding easter eggs and mirroring major real-life events. The trailer for season 27 of the show is no different and opens with the phrase, “The acclaimed drama returns.” It features Randy Marsh asking his daughter, Shelley, if she’s been using ketamine, followed later by him declaring,
“I’m just gonna do some ketamine and f*ck around with the government a little,” referencing recent discourse around public figures and drug use.
The teaser features a frenzied montage with the return of show’s main characters—Kenny, Cartman, Kyle, and Stan—trudging along a suburban area in flames, potentially a reference to the Los Angeles wildfire tragedies. Other dramatic shots are of passenger airliners crashing into each other mid-air, Butters hysterical inside an air traffic control room while additional planes disintegrate, and P. Diddy soaring through outer space on a jetpack.
A few of these scenes seem to take their inspiration from the news. Kyle is shown growing wings in bed, perhaps a nod to the avian flu pandemic that’s swept across the world. The trailer also shows Canadians mobilizing for war, an image that seems to be inspired by increased political tensions and dramatized in the usual South Park style. Tugboats destroying the Statue of Liberty and the bizarre insertion of P. Diddy appear to be commentary on recent scandals concerning celebrities.
In general, the trailer offers a montage of over-the-top but trenchant satire, combining political, environmental, and celebrity-driven allusions into the show’s typical modus operandi.
Read more: When will Beyond the Gates resume airing new episodes? Explained
South Park season 27 is set to premiere on Comedy Central on July 23, 2025.
