How many episodes in South Park season 26 on Comedy Central?

South Park fans are preparing to welcome their favorite, long-running animated series back for a staggering 26th time, but many are concerned about the episode count. We discuss how many episodes are in season 26, discuss the show’s big, upcoming move to Paramount+, and confirm the release date of season 26 episode 1.

The first season premiered way back in August 1997 and the series has since accumulated 319 episodes and 25 seasons.

Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central, South Park is an adult animated sitcom following four friends Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny, around their titular hometown in Colorado.

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How many episodes in South Park season 26?

As reported by The Futon Critic and confirmed by South Park’s Twitter account, South Park season 26 will only have six episodes to debut, which means its final episode will premiere on March 29, 2023.

The fandom was puzzled last year when South Park season 25 only had six episodes to air on Comedy Central – and it looks like that feat will repeat

South Park has carried, on average, around 13-17 episodes per season, before dropping to 10 episodes when season 17 hit.

Back in 2022, Paramount+ announced that it planned to become the new home of South Park in a streaming capacity by 2025 – which is why the series has recently been split between airing new episodes on HBO Max and debuting films on Paramount+ as part of the pre-arranged deal made between the two platforms and MTV Entertainment.

The initial deal between MTV and the creators secured South Park for 30 seasons up until 2027.

With the move dictating how much content is spread between the two platforms, we can expect more content to be delivered on Paramount’s side this year and next.

For now, though, fans are preparing to welcome another six-episode run with a film two-parter, like last year’s The Streaming Wars, and we will keep you updated on episode-count announcements. 

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South Park season 26 episode 1 release date – Where to watch

South Park season 26 episode 1 is scheduled to debut on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, on Comedy Central.

You will also be able to stream new episodes via the South Park website, Comedy Central online, and the Comedy Central app. 

Fans in the UK will, unfortunately, have to wait for new episodes to filter through on Comedy Central, as no release date has been given yet.

By Jo Craig – [email protected]