If you’ve been refreshing your streaming queue every Wednesday night hoping for a surprise drop from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, I feel your pain. The schedule for this show has become about as predictable as a Randy Marsh hobby. One minute they're skipping entire years to avoid election fatigue, and the next, they’re dropping a massive $1.5 billion deal that promises episodes until 2030.
Honestly, the "traditional" TV schedule for South Park is basically dead. We aren't in the 22-episodes-a-year era anymore. We're in the era of "whenever the guys feel like they have something to say," mixed with a very specific contractual obligation to Paramount+.
So, when does the next South Park come out? If you’re looking for a date to circle in red on your calendar, the answer is a bit of a "good news/bad news" situation.
The Current State of Season 29 and 30
As of January 2026, we are sitting right in the middle of a South Park renaissance that followed a pretty brutal hiatus. After that massive gap where the show vanished from early 2023 until late 2025, the floodgates finally opened.
Season 27 premiered in July 2025 and ran through September. Then, in a move that caught basically everyone off guard, Season 28 kicked off almost immediately in October 2025. It was chaotic. It was fast. It felt like the old days. But that brings us to the big question: what’s left for 2026?
Based on the $1.5 billion deal signed with Paramount, Trey and Matt are locked in to produce 10 episodes per year. Because they burned through Season 27 and Season 28 at the end of last year, the expectations for 2026 are high. Most industry insiders and scheduling patterns suggest that South Park Season 29 is slated for a mid-2026 release, likely following the July premiere window that worked so well for them last summer.
There's a very high probability we see a split similar to last year. Expect 5 episodes for Season 29 in the summer, followed by a short break, and then 5 episodes for Season 30 in the fall/winter of 2026.
Why the Wait Feels Longer Than It Is
People often get confused because there are two different "South Parks" now. You have the "Episodes" (the 22-minute satire that airs on Comedy Central) and the "Specials" (the hour-long movies on Paramount+).
The contract specifies 14 original movies exclusively for Paramount+. Since they’ve already knocked out several of these—like Post COVID, The Streaming Wars, and (Not Suitable for Children)—the remaining movies are being staggered.
- The Summer Slot: Usually reserved for a multi-episode season run.
- The Movie Slot: Often drops during holiday windows or late spring.
If we don't get a new "episode" by March, it’s almost certain that a Paramount+ Movie Special will drop first to satisfy the streaming hunger.
The Fortnite Chaos (Wait, What?)
If you’re desperate for South Park content right now, you actually need to look at your gaming console. In a crossover that literally no one saw coming—and that feels weirdly "corporate" for a show that hates corporations—South Park officially landed in Fortnite on January 9, 2026.
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The "Professor Chaos' Power Hour" event is currently live. You can literally run around as Butters (in his supervillain alter-ego) and throw Cheesy Poofs at people. It’s not a 22-minute episode, but the "Born in Chaos" event pass is currently the only official "new" South Park content we have until the summer premiere.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Schedule
The biggest misconception is that the show is "cancelled" every time it goes dark for six months. It's not.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone own the show in a way few creators do. They have a "produce-at-will" energy. In 2024, they famously decided to skip the election because they were bored of parodying Donald Trump. They literally just... didn't make the show.
You also have to factor in their other projects. Between the massive renovation of Casa Bonita (their legendary Mexican restaurant in Colorado) and their work on various theatrical projects, South Park is sometimes the secondary priority.
"Apparently when you do everything at the last minute sometimes you don't get it done."
— Trey Parker & Matt Stone on why Season 27 was delayed in 2025.
This "last-minute" philosophy is why we often don't get an official release date until two weeks before the premiere. If you're looking for a release date in January or February, you won't find one. They probably haven't even written the script yet.
Where to Watch When It Drops
When the new season finally hits, the "streaming wars" have actually made it easier to find, though slightly more expensive.
- Comedy Central: This is still the "live" home. If you want to see the episode the second it airs (and deal with commercials), this is where you go.
- Paramount+: Since the HBO Max (now Max) deal expired in mid-2025, Paramount+ is the exclusive streaming home. New episodes of Season 29 will drop here usually the morning after they air on TV.
- SouthPark.cc.com: They still host some episodes for free, but don't count on the new ones being there right away.
Practical Next Steps for Fans
Since we are currently in the "waiting room" for the Summer 2026 premiere of Season 29, here is how you can stay updated without falling for clickbait:
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- Check the Comedy Central Press Site: They are the first to post the "official" press release about 10 days before a premiere.
- Monitor the Fortnite Event: The "Professor Chaos" event ends on February 5, 2026. Often, Matt and Trey use these collaborations to tease what’s coming next in the show.
- Ignore "Leaked" Schedules: Unless it comes from @SouthPark on X or the official site, it’s fake. There are no leaked schedules because the episodes are often finished less than 24 hours before they air.
Keep your eyes peeled for a May or June announcement. If the pattern holds, we’re about four months away from the boys returning to the small screen.