In the middle of courting controversy at Paramount,South Parkis saying “screw you guys, I’m going home,” to its old streaming stomping grounds. Following a short extension, the entire catalog of the long-running adult animated comedy will be taken off of HBO Max next week, starting on August 5. The news was expected after Paramount forked overan eye-watering $1.5 billionto ensure the residents ofTrey ParkerandMatt Stone’s sleepy little mountain town stay rooted to Paramount+ for the next five years. It officially marks the end of Warner Bros. Discovery’s previous five-year relationship with the series that made their platform the place to go for the full 26-season run.
Fans have known for a while thatSouth Park’s days on HBO Max were numbered. Back in 2022, after Park County and Paramountcame together on their previous megadealto keep Parker and Stone making specials and episodes for them, it was also confirmed that the companywould be scooping up the streaming rightsonce their deal with HBO Max expired. The road to that point, however, was rockier than expected. With Paramount preparing to merge with Skydance, the scramble for a deal for streaming and new episodes turned ugly, with the creatorsthreatening legal actionover what they believed was an understanding on a ten-year agreement. The dispute forced the new season to be delayed a few weeks, but itall turned out well in the end, with Parker and Stone maintaining full creative control.
For the past few weeks, HBO Max and Paramount+ have shared the rights to the first 26 seasons, with the new run exclusively appearing on the latter. All of that will now change as all new episodes will continue to appear on Comedy Central first before heading up Mount Paramount to join the rest of the series. While it’s a big blow to HBO’s adult animation catalog, which includes Adult Swim series likeRick and MortyandSmiling Friends, the move always felt natural, finally uniting the rest ofSouth Parkwith the slate of specials likePost-COVIDandThe End of Obesity. A nice side effect of the new deal is that it also extended the show’s run by an extra two years on Comedy Central, ensuring Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny will be around in one place for the rest of the decade.
‘South Park’ Season 27 Is Creating Controversy With Great Success
Already,South Parkhas wasted no time soaring to the top of Paramount+’s charts by once againbecoming television’s most-discussed show. With its first episode, Parker and Stoneimmediately took aimat PresidentDonald Trumpin stunning fashion, showing him in bed with Satan and placing him in the middle of a bizarre PSA featuring a talking penis with the help of deepfakes. The pointed criticism has already earned the ire of the White House andthe love of audiences alike, and they are far from done. Episode 2 was teased in a trailerfeaturing Trump again playing footsie with the devil, ensuring that this season, the gloves are off when covering the current political landscape of America.
South Parkwill leave HBO Max behind on August 5. From then on, the series will be found exclusively on Paramount+, with new episodes premiering first on Comedy Central. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the future of the long-running comedy series.
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