Summary

• South Park
  season 27 needs to be longer, as fewer episodes limit its ability to comment on major cultural events.
• Seasons 25 and 26 suffered due to their short length, missing out on parodying major news stories and politicians.
• South Park
  ‘s later seasons have changed the show’s formula, with season 27 potentially returning to the old structure for more in-depth character development.

While South Park season 27’s release date has not yet been announced, the next outing of the long-running animated comedy already needs to fix a major issue. South Park has changed a lot over the show’s 26 years on the air. What began life as a gross-out cartoon focused on gore and shock value gradually became a social satire that used its young heroes to comment on contemporary culture. South Park’s later seasons even included serialized stories and, after abandoning this approach around season 22, the show later started producing feature-length specials. These facilitated more ambitious South Park stories.

Now, South Park season 27‘s delayed arrival has changed the show’s formula yet again. In 2022 and 2023, South Park seasons 25 and 26 were released between February and April before the show’s feature-length specials arrived later in the year. Not all of South Park’s movies have been critical hits, but 2024’s first special, The End of Obesity, fared relatively well. However, this change in the show’s usual release schedule leaves the structure of season 27 in question. Season 27 might follow the same approach as seasons 25 and 26, but its late arrival could signal a change.

South Park Season 27 Needs To Be Longer Than Seasons 25 and 26

South Park’s Most Recent Outings Included Only Six Episodes Each

South Park’s seasons have gotten progressively shorter in the last five years, with every outing since 2019 including less than 10 episodes. Already, South Park shortened its seasons from 14 episodes in seasons 8-16 down to only 10 episodes from seasons 17-23. With a mere six episodes, South Park’s most recent seasons are far shorter than the annual offerings from its competitors like The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and American Dad. To be fair, South Park’s seasons have always been a little shorter than other animated adult comedies since the show’s episodes are written and animated days before airing.

Seasons 25 and 26 suffered due to their limited length.

Despite this, seasons 25 and 26 suffered due to their limited length. Thanks to their brevity, these seasons saw South Park ignore major cultural events entirely. South Park season 27 may even end a huge streak of the series satirizing sitting US presidents, since Joe Biden has not yet been depicted on the series since his election. Missing out on parodying a president throughout their entire administration would typically have been unthinkable for South Park. The series historically mocked Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump during their times in office, but seasons 25 and 26’s 12 episodes limited South Park.

South Park’s Season Length Has Gotten Shorter Over Time

South Park Seasons 1-16 Included 13-18 Episodes

Like most new TV shows, South Park season 1 was shorter than most of the outings that followed it. South Park proved a huge hit upon its initial release and its subsequent seasons were longer, with seasons 2-7 including between 14 and 18 episodes. From season 8 onward, South Park stuck to a regular release schedule of 14 new episodes annually, only for season 17 to drop this number to 10 a decade later. Another half-decade later, everything after season 23 let this number drop even further as South Park’s feature-length specials replaced normal episodes.

South Park
’s ability to comment on current events has been massively limited.

Some of South Park’s riskiest episodes were impactful and effective precisely because they arrived in the middle of contentious real-life events. However, with the show’s release schedule reduced to only a few weeks of the year, South Park’s ability to comment on current events has been massively limited. South Park has been unable to address numerous major news stories in recent years, so season 27 should feature more episodes in an attempt to bring back this part of the show’s original appeal.

Season 27 Could Return To South Park’s Old Structure

Seasons 19-23 Had More Structure Than Seasons 25 and 26

Whether they were fully serialized or not, South Park’s earlier seasons had more screen time to explore recurring stories and develop new characters. South Park season 21’s Heidi storyline wasn’t as heavily serialized as season 20’s 2016 election coverage, but it did offer some interesting insight into Cartman’s character. For decades, Cartman has seemed like a spoiled kid and a by-the-numbers villain, but his relationship with Heidi made him both more complex and more odious than ever. South Park’s many controversies might gain the show attention, but it is character comedy like this that grounds the series.

Unfortunately, a six-episode South Park season 27 wouldn’t have enough time to flesh out the show’s characters and this could result in a disappointing outing for the satirical series. South Park’s critical reputation has had its ups and downs in recent years and the show’s lack of output puts more pressure on each new episode to succeed. While South Park season 27 might be fun, its brevity may end up working against the series in the long run. As such, South Park season 27 should harken back to the show’s early years and include more adventures for the gang.