South Park Creators Talk Why They Can’t Produce More Episodes
If you’re a massive fan of South Park, you may be perturbed by the dearth of new episodes that have been released in recent years. The show, which once touted over a dozen episodes per season, has now dwindled to the point that fans are lucky to get three to six installments in a given year. According to a recent Vanity Fair interview with series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, this is no accident, as the duo has apparently reached a point where they feel that they can only produce a few nights’ worth of entertainment annually, citing their age and busy schedules as factors.
In The Rolling Stones Phase
Specifically, the South Park creators claim that they are fully capable of producing more episodes per year, though doing so would drive down the quality. Matt Stone is quoted as comparing their production style to that of an aged rock band’s touring schedule, explaining “We’re the Rolling Stones, man. We’re trying to get out five, six nights a year. We could do more, but I don’t think it’d be better.”
No Signs Of Stopping
It’s certainly a bit surprising to hear that the dynamic comedy duo view themselves as semi-retired in 2024 and beyond, especially as they have so many other projects in the air. Since 2021, the South Park showrunners have been contracted to deliver alternating seasons of the show to Comedy Central and Paramount+, consisting of six-episode seasons and feature-length specials, respectively.
While in the midst of this deal, which netted the pair over $900 million, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have also been developing a live-action comedy film alongside rap megastar Kendrick Lamar, which is on pace for a July 2025 release.
Skipping The Election This Time
Elsewhere in the interview, Matt and Trey explained that they have no plans to produce new South Park episodes until 2025, partially to avoid the hot-button issue of the 2024 presidential election. While South Park has historically been a show rife with political satire and current events, the creators seem to be fully burnt out on covering former president Donald Trump, as doing so has turned out poorly in the past. Instead, Matt and Trey seem more interested in skewering more long-standing topics, like trends in celebrity weight loss and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The End Could Be Near
Perhaps the South Park creators feel that they’re too busy to craft new episodes because the show has gone on for so long, especially as they round the corner on the 26th season of the hit Comedy Central original.
After all, Matt and Trey have previously explained that they began production of the show identifying with the core children characters, and have since grown enough to tell their stories through the adult residents of the fictional Colorado mountain town.
Maybe by the time their Paramount+ deal comes to a close in 2027, South Park will be down to 1 episode per season, and consist mostly of stories centered around Stan’s grandpa.
26 Seasons Deep And Still Hilarious
Despite these comments about the future of South Park‘s episode schedule, it does seem as though Matt Stone and Trey Parker are still operating at a high level of comedic and narrative excellence. Their most recent South Park outing, The End of Obesity was positively reviewed by critics and general audiences alike, and their upcoming Kendrick Lamar collaboration has received a lot of renewed attention after the latter’s tumultuous rap feud with Drake earlier this year.
Whether South Park airs for two episodes or 200, it seems clear that the show will always place comedy above all else.
Source: Vanity Fair
