‘South Park’ and ‘Digman!’ Season Premieres Pushed to Late July

South Park is one of Comedy Central’s longest-running programs, with 300-plus episodes full of wild and controversial plots. From animating, and making fun of, pop culture’s most trending moments to clips turning into highly-used gifs, the animated show has been consistent with its popularity. It’s now approaching its 27th season, but because of a streaming rights battle between creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Comedy Central’s parent company, Paramount Global, fans will have to wait a bit longer to watch the season premiere. South Park isn’t the only animation on the channel to get its premiere delayed; Andy Samberg’s Digman! has also been moved to a later date.

The animation that follows its version of celebrities, who are archaeologists, is heading into its sophomore season. Digman!‘s premiere will now air on Wednesday, July 23, at 10:30 PM, following South Park, which will air in Comedy Central’s 10:00 PM time slot on the same day. News of South Park‘s 27th season premiere being delayed was announced on Wednesday, July 2, which, of course, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were not happy about. While Comedy Central shared the news in a press release, Parker and Stone shared their response via South Park‘s official X (formerly Twitter) account. In response to the press release from Comedy Central about the change in premiere date for South Park Trey Parker & Matt Stone said:

“This merger is a sh*tshow and it’s f**king up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”

“This Merger Is a Sh*tshow”: ‘South Park’ Creators Blast Paramount Over Season 27 Delay

It has been more than two years since a new season of ‘South Park’ premiered.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, both shows were set to premiere on Wednesday, July 9, and the merger that the creators are talking about consists of David Ellison’s Skydance and Paramount Global combining. It’s supposed to be closed by July 9, but a deadline extension is also possible. Parker and Stone’s problem with the merger is that they believe incoming Skydance-Paramount President Jeff Shell is attempting to lower bids for South Park‘s digital rights once its partnership with Paramount is done in the next two years. The creators believe Shell is trying to make sure the merged company has its hands in the series’ library and new episodes.

Digman! stars Andy Samberg as Rip Digman, an adventurer who finds himself back in the world of archaeology after twelve years, following the passing of his wife. Shamberg, who also created the animated show, produces it while co-creator Neil Campbell serves as the showrunner. The first season has eight episodes, and while its Rotten Tomatoes score is 57%, the series did something right to get a renewal. Its second season will include the voices of Mitra Jouhari as Saltine, Tim Robinson as Swooper, Dale Soules as Agatha, Guz Khan as Zane, Melissa Fumero as Bella, and Tim Meadows as Quail Eegan.

‘South Park’ Creators Threatened Legal Action Over Streaming Deal Interference

‘South Park’ and ‘Digman!’ Season Premieres Pushed to Late July — Paramount

While viewers have to wait a bit longer to see what Stan, Kyle, Eric, and Kenny are up to, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been vocal about protecting their series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two threatened legal action, accusing incoming merger president Jeff Shell of meddling in their contract negotiations with Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix. Park County, the creators’ entertainment company, wrote a letter saying, “We hereby demand that you, Redbird, and Skydance immediately cease your interference. If these activities continue, we will have no choice but to act to both protect our rights and discharge any obligations we may have to the public.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter