Emily Garbutt
Updated on: October 8, 2024 9:14 am GMT
Emmy-winning animated series South Park will not return until 2025, making the decision to skip the 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign intentional, according to co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the creators expressed a lack of interest in satirizing former President Donald Trump amid ongoing controversies surrounding his political career.
Strategic Delay for Season 27
Stone clarified that the creators are deliberately waiting to resume South Park until 2025. It’s on purpose,” he stated, explaining that the electoral atmosphere surrounding Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice-President Kamala Harris, creates a chaotic environment that detracts from their creative process. Stone mentioned, “We’ve tried to do South Park through four or five presidential elections, and it is such a hard thing to… it seems like it takes outsized importance.” He expressed concern about how the focus on politics can overshadow the fun of creating the show.
Insights from the Creators
In their interview, Stone remarked, “I don’t know what more we could possibly say about Trump,” indicating a sense of fatigue with the subject. He emphasized the emotional and mental toll of creating satire in a seemingly endless political cycle filled with dramatic events. Parker echoed this sentiment, noting that the satirical content around Trump’s political journey has become a challenging landscape.
Paramount’s Influence on Timing
Besides the desire to sidestep the upcoming election, Parker mentioned that the delay in the show’s return may also be linked to ongoing developments at Paramount, which now streams South Park on Paramount+. The network is undergoing significant transitions, including a proposed sale to Skydance valued at approximately $8 billion. Parker alluded to the uncertainty surrounding Paramount, explaining, “We’re also waiting for Paramount to figure all their shit out.” This added complexity has influenced their timeline for the show’s return.
Contrasting Past Political Commentary
The decision to avoid political topics is notable, particularly in contrast to the show’s previous seasons. In 2016, South Park rapidly created a special episode focusing on the unexpected outcome of the presidential election, where a character voiced by Parker assumes the presidency in a narrative reflective of Trump’s ascent. Stone emphasized the show’s historical engagement with political satire, but he and Parker now feel that they have explored those narratives sufficiently.
Your Ultimate Source of Satire
South Park has long been a platform for tackling a wide array of contemporary social and political issues through the misadventures of four boys in a small Colorado town. Despite the controversies surrounding its content, the show has gained critical acclaim and maintained a loyal audience since its debut in 1997. The creators are also well-known for their Broadway success with The Book of Mormon and cult films like Team America: World Police and BASEketball.
Recent Moments from South Park
Notably, the last full season of South Park was its 26th, consisting of six episodes aired in 2023. Following that season, Parker and Stone produced three standalone specials which debuted on Paramount+: “South Park: Joining the Panderverse,” “South Park (Not Suitable for Children),” and “South Park: The End of Obesity,” with the latter being released in May 2024. It appears that fans will have to wait until 2025 for new content.
Conclusion
The makers of *South Park* are getting ready for a long break. They’ve decided to skip the crazy politics of the upcoming election and plan to come back in 2025. This choice gives them time to come up with new ideas while also reacting to changes in the entertainment industry. Fans are excited to see what happens next, while the creators think about their past shows that tackled tough political issues.
