South Park To Premiere A Pandemic Special Event Episode

Read our review of the South Park pandemic special right here.

At this point nothing can slow down South Park, not even a global pandemic. Comedy Central announced that the long-running animated series will return on September 30th with an hour-long event titled “The Pandemic Special.” The special airs at 8:00 p.m. ET. 

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that the episode is a special event, not the premiere of season 24. No further information on the official premiere date for season 24 was given by Comedy Central. The event special picks up where South Park left off. For those who haven’t been following the show in recent seasons, the title means one citizen of South Park will try to cash in on this collective nightmare: Randy Marsh. Here’s the episode description via Comedy Central: 

“Randy comes to terms with his role in the COVID-19 outbreak as the on-going pandemic presents continued challenges to the citizens of South Park. The kids happily head back to school but nothing resembles the normal that they once knew; not their teachers, not their homeroom, not even Eric Cartman.”

In the teaser below, Randy Marsh sees growing weed sales as an opportunity to introduce a “pandemic special” for his recreational cannabis business, Tegridy Farms. Most of South Park’s 23rd season was devoted to Randy’s on-going Tegridy Farms storyline. It appears Tegridy Farms is back and stronger than ever. For the kids, Cartman is clearly ready to use the pandemic as a way of getting out of school.

Like clockwork, South Park returns to television this fall without delay. While many Hollywood productions temporarily stopped shooting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, animated shows were in a unique position to continue production on a remote basis. Comedy Central did not release information on how South Park is handling its production process for the event special or season 24. 

One big change for season 24 is how fans will be able to stream the new season. According to Comedy Central, the all-new episodes will begin streaming exclusively on South Park Studios, CC.com and the Comedy Central App immediately following the west coast airing. South Park’s other new streaming home is HBO Max. New episodes from season 24 will be available on HBO Max 24 hours after premiere. The entire South Park library is currently streaming on HBO Max.