‘South Park’ Creators Slam Studio Merger for Season 27 Delay of Beloved Comedy Series

South Park is officially returning later this month—but its creators aren’t exactly thrilled with how things are playing out behind the scenes. After Comedy Central confirmed that South Park Season 27 has been delayed from July 9 to July 23, co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone didn’t hold back in a strongly worded response.

“This merger is a s–tshow and it’s f–king up South Park,” the duo wrote on the show’s official social channels. “We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”

That “merger” would be the upcoming (and increasingly messy) union between Skydance Media and Paramount Global, which co-owns South Park Digital Studios alongside Parker and Stone. The merger has already begun to wreak havoc behind the scenes, with ongoing negotiations for new streaming rights stalled and key executives like incoming Paramount president Jeff Shell reportedly meddling in the show’s future.

Parker and Stone are so fed up they’ve allegedly threatened legal action against Paramount, claiming Shell interfered in their negotiations with both Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, whose platform HBO Max had held the exclusive streaming rights to South Park under a now-expired $500 million deal. With no new agreement in place, South Park is once again in limbo when it comes to where (and how) fans can watch it beyond Comedy Central.

What’s Coming in Season 27?

Despite the chaos offscreen, Season 27 still looks like vintage South Park madness. In the trailer released earlier this year, the show teases a handful of wild new plots:

A wildfire-inspired disaster with the town engulfed in flames.
A squad of beret-wearing Frenchmen reclaiming the Statue of Liberty (a nod to a real-life French politician who demanded the U.S. return it).
Butters as a woefully underqualified air traffic controller.
Cartman in a hospital room during a woman’s labor, suggesting an abortion-themed episode is incoming.
Kyle seemingly transforming into a turkey, which can only mean bird flu is about to hit South Park in the most absurd way possible.
And yes, there will be a Diddy episode—because of course there will. We’re sure that will be nice and topical.

The Skydance–Paramount merger is set to close July 6 (although that could shift), and how it affects South Park’s long-term home remains unclear. Until then, all fans can do is rewatch the classics, keep their fingers crossed, and hope Parker and Stone keep making noise.

In the meantime, Season 27 will premiere July 23 on Comedy Central at 10 p.m. ET/PT