Political Madness Gives Comedy New Life

Read Time:7 Minute, 30 Second

TV SERIES REVIEW
South Park: Season 27 & Season 28
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Genre: Animation, Comedy, Satire
Year: 2025, 2026 DVD
Runtime: Approximately 3h 43m (10 Episodes)
Creator(s): Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Director(s): Trey Parker
Writer(s): Trey Parker
Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, April Stewart, Mona Marshall, Adrien Beard, Jennifer Howell, Vernon Chatman
Where to Watch: available October 20, 2026; pre-order your copy here: www.moviesunlimited.com or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: There was a long time when SOUTH PARK seemed to have settled into a stage of television longevity where everyone knew it was still around, but considerably fewer people were talking about it (see THE SIMPSONS). Trey Parker and Matt Stone hadn't exactly softened their approach. The show's increasingly sporadic release schedule and reliance on extended storylines had taken some of the excitement out of following it. Then came Season 27, Donald Trump's return to the White House, and an opening episode that reminded everyone just how spectacularly offensive this cartoon could be when its creators had something they wanted to ridicule. Suddenly, a series approaching its thirtieth anniversary was generating the sort of conversation usually reserved for a controversial new television phenomenon.

Seasons 27 and 28, originally broadcast throughout the second half of 2025, represent an unusually aggressive return to political satire for Parker and Stone. Each season has five episodes, and the two seasons function as one continuous storyline examining the Trump administration, corporate capitulation, religious hypocrisy, artificial intelligence, and America's increasingly ridiculous politics. Jesus returns, Satan enters another spectacularly fitting relationship, and the president finds himself at the center of a collection of jokes that would have been hard to imagine on mainstream television when SOUTH PARK premiered in 1997. Even Paramount, the company that distributed the show, isn't spared. (I’m so glad they extended their contract before the new Paramount merger.)

The first episode, "Sermon on the 'Mount," establishes the renewed approach almost immediately. Rather than easing audiences back into the small Colorado town, Parker and Stone go directly after Trump, Paramount, and the uncomfortable relationship between powerful corporations and political influence. The timing makes the episode particularly effective, arriving amid considerable public attention surrounding Paramount's corporate dealings and the show's expensive new distribution agreement. It's an unusually confrontational opening, made funnier because the creators seem perfectly comfortable attacking the very company that pays them.

That willingness to ridicule their own corporate overlords makes it feel like SOUTH PARK has rediscovered some of its old nerve. Political comedy frequently becomes predictable when audiences already know exactly which side the jokes will target. Parker and Stone certainly have preferred targets throughout these seasons, but their approach goes beyond simply mocking the president. They also examine the people who bend the knee to him, institutions that protect themselves, and a culture where maintaining access to power can become far more important than showing any meaningful conviction. The jokes are often crude, sometimes prolonged, and occasionally downright disgusting, but the underlying frustration is unmistakable.

"Got a Nut" continues that by putting Mr. Mackey in an increasingly over-the-top situation as he becomes an I.C.E. agent, while "Sickofancy" brings Towelie back into the madness. Both episodes demonstrate how effectively the series can take an established character and place them within a contemporary controversy. Mackey's personality is especially useful because his desperation lets the writers examine institutional behavior through someone who isn't particularly equipped to understand the larger implications of his decisions. Towelie, meanwhile, remains exactly the sort of character you'd expect to find wandering into a moment of national chaos without appreciating what's happening around him.

Season 28, which unexpectedly began in October 2025 rather than continuing the numbering audiences anticipated, takes the existing madness in several interesting directions. "Twisted Christian" builds on the religious ridiculousness established, while "The Woman in the Hat" continues to explore the increasingly dysfunctional political world. The latter also introduces an amusing degree of self-awareness through Stan's frustration with how political everything has become. It's a particularly welcome acknowledgment from a series whose own commitment to contemporary politics has occasionally pushed its original four protagonists into the background.

'Sora Not Sorry' ranks among the collection's strongest installments, which turns its attention to AI-generated video and the growing difficulty of distinguishing the authentic from convincing digital fabrications. Butters' involvement gives the episode a recognizable human element, letting the writers examine an increasingly relevant technological problem without simply delivering another extended lecture. The resulting chaos is ridiculous, but the criticism of content and its potential for manipulation feels appropriately uncomfortable. For a series that's spent decades mocking society's willingness to embrace questionable technology, artificial intelligence provides an especially worthwhile target.

The renewed attention surrounding SOUTH PARK is understandable. It's remarkable that a show this old can still generate controversy rather than simply relying on audience affection for its earlier years. Parker and Stone have survived countless changes in television, comedy, politics, and public attitudes toward offensive entertainment, yet they've retained an ability to provoke reactions from people who might otherwise never consider watching an animated series about four foul-mouthed children. These latest seasons also show that their approach can still produce relevant comedy, even when the execution doesn't consistently match the ambition. The best part is that the series continues in the next season, rebranding as SOUTH AMERICA as a stab at the ridiculousness of the current administration wanting to rename everything “X” America.

Paramount brings both seasons together on DVD on October 20, 2026, collecting ten episodes that make considerably more sense as a combined release than two separate volumes. I’m sure there was logic in calling these two separate seasons, and I’m happy we’re getting more! The continuous political storyline connects the seasons so closely that their unusual division feels largely administrative rather than creative. Having them together also makes the recurring jokes, character developments, and escalating absurdity easier to follow without the extended gaps that accompanied their original television broadcasts. It's a nice physical release for collectors, especially given how significant this period has become in the show's long history.

I wouldn't rank Seasons 27 and 28 among SOUTH PARK's best years, despite the attention they've generated. They’re easily some of the best in recent memory. Their political commentary sometimes overwhelms, several recurring jokes wear out their welcome, and the original boys deserve more room within their own series. Parker and Stone provide considerable entertainment as they attack subjects that much of mainstream television approaches with far greater caution. The writing is strongest when it finds an unexpectedly ridiculous angle on a recognizable problem rather than simply trying to produce the most offensive image imaginable.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of these ten episodes is that they've made SOUTH PARK feel like an active participant in contemporary entertainment again, rather than a long-running institution that occasionally releases something new (see THE SIMPSONS, again). Its resurgence doesn't mean the series has suddenly returned to its creative peak, nor does controversy automatically make it top quality. These seasons show that Parker and Stone can still find plenty worth mocking nearly three decades after introducing audiences to their thoroughly dysfunctional Colorado town. SOUTH PARK remains inconsistent, often juvenile, and occasionally exhausting, but watching it rediscover its appetite for making powerful people uncomfortable is a welcome reminder that the old bastards still have plenty to say.

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