South Park isn't going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, the popular adult animated series is here to stay in a big way. "Variety" reports that Comedy Central has renewed the show through season 30, which will take it to air into 2027, and creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have set up a new expansive deal with ViacomCBS' MTV Entertainment Studios that calls for the duo to produce 14 movies based on the South Park brand for Paramount+.
The deal is very much reflective of having content deals with notable producers that have thriving properties that are still relevant. South Park has essentially been the face of Comedy Central since its debut in 1997 and, back in 2019, ViacomCBS licensed older seasons of the show to HBO Max in a staggering deal that was valued at $500 million. Chris McCarthy, president-CEO of MTV Entertainment and chief content officer of adult animation for Paramount+, had this to say about the renewal and new movie deal:
"Matt and Trey are world-class creatives who brilliantly use their outrageous humor to skewer the absurdities of our culture and we are excited to expand and deepen our long relationship with them to help fuel Paramount+ and Comedy Central. Franchising marquee content like South Park and developing new IP with tremendous talent like Matt and Trey, is at the heart of our strategy to continue growing Paramount Plus."
Also very happy about the deal are Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The duo has worked tirelessly over the years to keep South Park culturally relevant and the series continues to be a viable part of pop culture. Speaking of the new deal the duo said, "Comedy Central has been our home for 25 years and we’re really happy that they’ve made a commitment to us for the next 75 years. When we came to ViacomCBS with a different way to produce the show during the pandemic, Chris (McCarthy), Nina (Diaz), Keyes (Hill-Edgar), and Tanya (Giles) were immediately supportive and enabled us to try something new that turned out to be really well received. We can’t wait to get back to doing traditional South Park episodes but now we can also try out new formats. It’s great to have partners who will always take a chance with us."
As of this writing, 309 episodes of South Park have been broadcast and it remains one of Comedy Central's highest-rated programs. Over the years, the show has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and numerous inclusions in various publications' lists of the greatest television shows. A theatrical film based on the show, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, was released in 1999 and found great critical and financial success. The film is 80% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and, on a budget of $21 million, the movie went on to gross $83.1 million worldwide.
Are YOU excited that we're getting A LOT more South Park?