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If you ever find yourself wondering why billion-dollar business deals, lawsuits, etc. sometimes hinge on that one Comedy Central TV show where the CGI paper cut-outs do fart jokes at each other, it may be worth looking at some statistics. Paramount released a fresh piece of bragformation this week, for instance, explaining to the uninformed just how big an impact South Park still has in its 27th season, with the show’s premiere last week becoming the most-watched thing on cable, most talked-about thing on social media, and its most viewed-premiere in years. (Highest straight ratings since 2022, and the highest share of viewers the show has grabbed with a premiere since 1999.)
Comedy Central already revealed that it would be running the premiere again as an “encore” this week, rather than rolling out the next episode of the season. (Reportedly centered on ICE.) In light of the crowing in its press release today, the decision takes on a certain “ain’t broke, don’t fix” vibe; if the rerun of “Sermon On The ‘Mount” —inviting viewers who missed seeing a deepfaked Donald Trump with a tiny penis with googly eyes on it the first time—does even a fraction of the original numbers, it’ll still be a hefty success.
Certainly, reactions to the episode have cemented Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s reputations as provocateurs, if nothing else: Introducing Trump—who’d previously been addressed on the show through stand-in characters—directly into the South Park world, and having him threaten the town into silence with lawsuits very much like the ones he’s been using to bully companies like series co-owners Paramount, had the desired effect, pulling a typically apoplectic response from the White House last week. (It also apparently provoked days’ worth of arguments over whether the micropenis in question—running as a “live-action” PSA the town is forced to make as part of the terms of its settlement with Trump—could run un-blurred.) Say what you like about this particular brand of satire: It makes for a hell of a marketing tool.
