Paramount’s pending merger with Skydance is the biggest story in the media business right now, which really means it’s a little part of a lot of different stories. Today, Paramount settled its ongoing dispute with Donald Trump over 60 Minutes for $16 million, clearing the way for potential FCC approval of the critical deal. Now, South Park‘s season 27 premiere has been delayed. And, wouldn’t you know it, it’s also due to the “shitshow” merger that’s “fucking up South Park,” in the words of its creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. But hey, at least the board is probably having a pretty good day.
There are a whole lot of messy dealings behind Parker and Stone’s statement. In 2019, Paramount sold the lucrative streaming rights to South Park, which it co-owns with Parker and Stone’s South Park Digital Studios, to Warner Bros. Discovery. Then it decided it wanted them back for Paramount+, kicking off a whole clusterfuck of negotiations. A significant recent update came last week, when Parker and Stone’s Park County entertainment company threatened legal action against RedBird Capital executive Jeff Shell, who would become president of Paramount Global if—you guessed it—the merger goes through. (It always comes back to that damn merger.)
Parker and Stone are accusing Shell of tampering with their contract negotiations with WBD and Netflix. According to a letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Shell asked potential bidders for South Park to modify their offers in a “manner calculated to benefit Paramount at the expense” of Park County. Shell allegedly urged WBD to give Paramount+ a 12-month exclusivity window on new episodes, and to cut its deal from 10 years to five in the hopes of bringing down its bid. (The show’s previous exclusive streaming license with HBO Max expired a week ago, per Deadline.) The letter urges Shell, RedBird, and Skydance to “immediately cease [their] interference.” Meanwhile, Skydance maintains that it has the “right to approve material contracts.”
The whole thing is a disaster, but it’s not the end of South Park. Season 27 will now premiere July 23, just a few weeks later than its originally slated July 9 date, pending future delays of course. In the meantime, you can still stream seasons one through 26 on HBO Max as part of an extension granted during renewal negotiations, per Deadline. “We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow,” Parker and Stone wrote in their statement. You can watch a teaser for the season below:
