Summary
AlthoughSouth Parkseason 27’s late arrival might seem strange, the fact that one of 2024’s feature-length specials has already been released could point to a surprising storytelling strategy.South Park’s release schedule isn’t always the same, but it is relatively predictable. Typically, the show produces a six-episode season between January and April and then releases two feature-length specials later in the year.South Park’s feature-length movieswere released in different months, but 2022’s season 25 and 2023’s season 26 still followed this pattern. Already, it is clear thatSouth Parkseason 27will not.
January and April 2024 came and went without any newSouth Parkepisodes, and May 24 brought the unexpected arrival of the year’s first feature-length special.South Park: The End of Obesityparodied the Ozempic craze, body positivity, and the infamously bureaucratic American healthcare system. This standalone special was released before season 27 even though earlier specials arrived after their respective seasons, and no follow-up has been announced as of July. It seems increasingly clear thatSouth Parkseason 27 may follow a surprising release strategy that is tied to one of the bigger news stories of the year.
South Park: The End of Obesity Proved Cartman’s Character Change Can’t Last
South Park seemed to set up a major character shift for Cartman in 2023, but The End of Obesity proved that this change could only last so long.
South Park Season 27 Will Likely Focus On 2024’s US Election
The End of Obesity’s Early Arrival Makes A Later Season Likely
Since the rest ofSouth Park’s feature-length specials arrived in the months after their respective seasons wrapped up before May, it is fair to say thatSouth Parkseason 27’s release date isn’t following the show’s usual pattern. There is no sign of season 27 as of early July andSouth Parkalready released one of 2024’s two specials.South Park’s creators seem to have something planned for later in the year, and this may relate to the 2024 election. This year’s US election is likely to be a major news event and could be season 27’s focus.
Although it is almost impossible to predict the winner of an election, the rest of the news cycle surrounding the event is something thatSouth Parkseason 27 could center its story around.South Park’s 2024 plansare already a little unusual thanks to co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone working on an unrelated feature film while simultaneously creating the series. As such, it could be a relief to plan a serialized season around the election instead of relying on weekly events to provide each episode’s plot. That said,South Parktried this gambit once before and failed.
South Park Season 27 Centering 2024’s Election Is Risky
The Series Famously Failed To Call The 2016 Election
In 2015,South Parkbegan experimenting with serialized storytelling. The show pulled off a relatively cohesive season-long storyline in season 19, mocking topics like political correctness, native advertising, and bro culture. However, the series struggled to repeat this feat a year later.The entirety ofSouth Parkseason 20 centered around 2016’s election, but the storyline was premised on an inevitable victory for Hillary Clinton. This resulted in a messy, nonsensical ending that failed to skewer either candidate as it became increasingly clear thatSouth Park’s planned ending was swiftly altered before the final episodes aired.
It is tough to imagineSouth Parkrevisiting season 20’s risky storytelling style in season 27.
South Parktacitly acknowledged this issue with the title of season 20, episode 10, “The End of Serialization as We Know It.” As such, it is tough to imagineSouth Parkrevisiting this risky storytelling style in season 27.South Park’s attitude towards electionshas historically been ambivalent, with most of the show’s outings betraying a nonchalant attitude towards the outcome.South Parkoutright ignored the 2020 election, which makes the prospect of an entire season centered around the 2024 election all the more surprising. However, this theory would be more likely if the show changed one major facet.
South Park Season 27 Could End A 27-Year Trend
The Satire Series Is Often Surprisingly Apolitical
In its earlier seasons,South Parkmostly refused to portray one presidential candidate as superior to their rival. If they’re basing an entire season around this election, they may plan to change that approach.South Parkrarely takes any side in political debates, but the show would likely need to pick a candidate to favor if the show was to center the election and its impact throughout season 27.South Parkhas barely acknowledged Joe Biden’s existenceand the show’s version of Donald Trump is an alter ego of Mr. Garrison, so it is hard to predict who the series would favor.
South Park’s apolitical perception could take a hit if the series were to side with one candidate over the other.
Portraying one candidate more favorably than the other would be a very high-risk ploy given how muchSouth Park’s popularity is rooted in its perceived ability to mock both sides of any given issue. As such,South Park’s apolitical perception could take a hit if the series were to side with one candidate over the other. That said, it is tough to see howSouth Parkwould release an entire season in late 2024 without tackling the biggest news story of the era.
