In the midst of ongoing controversy at Paramount, South Park is essentially saying “screw you guys, I’m going home,” as it parts ways with its old streaming home. Following a brief extension, the entire catalog of the long-standing adult animated series will be removed from HBO Max starting August 5.
The move comes as no surprise, especially after Paramount shelled out a staggering $1.5 billion to keep Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s quirky mountain town permanently on Paramount+ for the next five years. This officially concludes Warner Bros. Discovery’s previous five-year partnership with the show that made their platform the go-to destination for all 26 seasons.
Fans have long known that South Park’s time on HBO Max was limited. Back in 2022, when Park County and Paramount struck a major deal to retain Parker and Stone for new specials and episodes, it was also made clear that the streaming rights would revert to Paramount after their contract with HBO Max expired. However, the transition wasn’t entirely smooth.
Amid Paramount’s preparations to merge with Skydance, negotiations for streaming and new episodes turned sour, with the creators even threatening legal action over what they believed had been a ten-year agreement. This tension delayed the new season by several weeks, but eventually, everything was resolved, allowing Parker and Stone to retain full creative control.
In recent weeks, HBO Max and Paramount+ had been jointly hosting the first 26 seasons, while the new episodes were exclusively available on Paramount+. That’s about to change, as all new installments will still debut on Comedy Central before heading up Mount Paramount to join the rest of the library. While this marks a significant loss for HBO’s adult animation roster—which includes titles like Rick and Morty and Smiling Friends—the shift always seemed inevitable.
It reunites South Park’s full run with its Paramount+ exclusive specials, such as Post-COVID and The End of Obesity. An added bonus of the new deal is the show’s extended presence on Comedy Central by another two years, ensuring that Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny remain in one place through the end of the decade. Already, South Park has reclaimed its spot at the top of Paramount+’s rankings, once again becoming one of TV’s most buzzed-about series.
In its first episode, Parker and Stone wasted no time targeting President Donald Trump, portraying him in bed with Satan and featuring him in a surreal PSA involving a talking penis, aided by deepfakes. The sharp satire has already drawn criticism from the White House and praise from viewers, and it’s clear the creators are just getting started. A trailer for Episode 2 teased another Trump appearance, again in a twisted dance with the devil, signaling that this season intends to pull no punches when tackling America’s political landscape.
South Park will exit HBO Max on August 5. From that point forward, the show will stream exclusively on Paramount+, with new episodes airing first on Comedy Central.
Source: Collider