The highly anticipated premiere of the 27th season of South Park has captured a lot of attention. On July 23, the episode aired, featuring a wild storyline with President Donald Trump and Satan, drawing in 5.9 million viewers across various platforms within three days, including on-air replays.
This season’s premiere was delayed by two weeks as creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone negotiated a new deal with Paramount Global. Now, South Park episodes stream on Paramount+ the day after they air. This strategy certainly boosted the show’s ratings; while 430,000 viewers tuned in for the first airing on Comedy Central, the total for all platforms shows a much larger audience. In comparison, last season’s premiere had 484,000 viewers, but it didn’t benefit from the same streaming agreement.
The episode, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” features Trump suing the town for $5 billion, only to settle for $3.5 million while promising to create pro-Trump messages, including a live-action deepfake. This aspect resonates with a real-world event where Trump settled with CBS’ 60 Minutes in a similar maneuver, raising questions about media responsibility and representation in today’s political climate.
Interestingly, reactions on social media show a mix of excitement and criticism. Fans love the show’s sharp satire, while some worry that comedy could blur the lines of reality in political narratives. Recent studies suggest that 64% of viewers agree that shows like South Park influence their opinions about political figures. This reflects the impact of satire in shaping public discourse, especially among younger audiences.
Following the premiere, South Park will take a week off before airing new episodes starting August 6, maintaining its reputation for timely and provocative content.
To learn more about media’s role in shaping politics, check out this article from the Pew Research Center.
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Comedy Central,South Park,TV Ratings