“South Park” is sticking around for a few more years. Ahead of its 23rd season, Comedy Central has agreed to a new deal with Matt Stone and Trey Parker to keep the longrunning cartoon for an additional three seasons.
That will take “South Park” through Season 26 and 327 episodes. Stone and Parker, as they have since it debuted in 1997, will continue to write, direct and edit every episode.
“South Park” is the longest running primetime scripted series on cable and will surpass its 300th episode this season — though that still leaves it some 300 episodes shy (and counting) of that other long-running animated series in “The Simpsons.” Among young adults, “South park” has been the highest-rated cable comedy in primetime for the last six years.
“‘South Park’ is the greatest comedy in the history of television, unmatched in its satirical strength and cultural relevancy and it shows no signs of slowing down,” said Kent Alterman, president of Comedy Central, Paramount Network and TV Land. “If humanity is still intact in 1000 years, historians will see the most transcendent artists of our era as The Beatles, Muhammed Ali, and Matt and Trey. We’ll do as many seasons as they would like.”
Last season, “South Park” touched on everything from Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination hearings, Amazon’s encroaching global dominance to even, yes, making fun of “The Simpsons” over the controversy surrounding the character of Apu. Even Al Gore came back in an episode that touched on global warming (offering an apology of sorts to the former Vice President).
“Apparently, our efforts to get our own show cancelled have fallen short,” said Parker and Stone. “Luckily, we love Comedy Central and Kent and our staff so we are looking forward to new cancellation opportunities in the next few years.”
Parker, Stone, Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II are the executive producers. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Chris Brion is the creative director of South Park Digital Studios.
“South Park” returns for Season 23 on Wednesday, Sept. 25 on Comedy Central.