South Park season 27 episode 4 hasn’t aired again this week, and it’s now the third in a series of ongoing delays. After its controversial premiere, both episodes 2 and 3 have had two-week gaps between them, with episode 4 now following suit (you can expect to see it on September 3 instead).
Paramount has now confirmed this schedule will continue for the entire duration of the 10-episode season, meaning we can now expect the (surely explosive) season finale on November 26.
Initially, the studio hadn’t given a reason why, or at least it hadn’t publicly. With influential figures in the US Government blasting South Park‘s parodies on a near-daily basis, I’d already guessed that this could feed into why episodes were taking longer, especially given the Paramount+ exclusive post-credit scenes we’re starting to see.
President Trump has been naked in bed with the devil, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has shot puppies at point blank range, and Towelie’s trip to Washington D.C. shone a spotlight on the city’s National Guard deployment.
But ahead of South Park season 27 episode 4, we’ve finally got an explanation – and as it turns out, there are multiple reasons why we’re seeing a lag on the launches.
Not only does it feel like a smart move, I also think it’s a huge positive. The creators show no signs of slowing down their scathing political parodies, so some breathing space between them could do us all the world of good.
“So much happens right now in just one day with Trump”
According to an interview with Deadline, the season 27 delays initially started with timing episode 2 to release in line with the show’s 25th anniversary. Afterwards, a two-week schedule was continued in order to make sure episodes were completely up to date with real-world events.
Deadline’s source close to the South Park producers explained, “What they’re doing means this year’s episodes need more time than usual to put together, to finish.
“So much happens right now in just one day with Trump. No one’s going to sacrifice getting it right, even if we have to push getting it to air, and if that makes the season longer, so be it.”
In short, this means that everything is taking more time to make, which isn’t surprising in a world with a news cycle that moves at breakneck speed.
What’s perhaps more surprising is that Paramount is totally fine with the changes. “We’re not going to argue with what’s working, ” an insider at the studio added. “The numbers are great, the show is getting a lot of attention – if they want to give us a 20-week season for 10-episodes, that’s OK.”
Deadline previously reported that the second episode of Season 27 drew 6.2 million global multi-platform viewers across Comedy Central and Paramount+ in its first three days, numbers which largely came from streaming. Clearly, taking more time is working for everyone, and perhaps this allows creators to cut even deeper with their political parody.
Could this change how comedies, or any streamable series, are released in the future? Very possibly. But for now, there’s a certain relief that comes with the empty space between the animated poundings.
With Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna now the latest to clap back at her South Park depiction, the new schedule will likely cool any political jets before anything gets messier than the tension and legal threats we saw through its two-year hiatus.
