When we last saw our boys from South Park, it was in November of 2012. President Obama had won the election. Star Wars had been bought up by Disney. Butters almost died from an almond allergy.
That was 7 months ago. Spring came and went, and no new South Park episodes came. Topics ripe for a satirical spin like the use of 3D printers, Millennials, presidential libraries, and Chechens came and went without being sent up by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Some believed that Armageddon was on the horizon.
Luckily for fans, cable television had come up with plenty to tide over South Park fans, maybe even enough to make them forget. South Park Studios still has every episode from the past 16 seasons available online and, for better or for worse, historical stupidity still repeats itself. Tom Cruise acting up again? Go watch “Trapped In the Closet” or “200” (if you have it on DVD. They STILL have that episode down.) The Pope stepping down? Perfect time to watch “Bloody Mary” or “Fantastic Easter Special.” Still broke from the economic crisis? Watch “Margaritaville.”
Luckily, Trey Parker and Matt Stone were able to negotiate a South Park contract through 2016 while pushing their Broadway musical production, “The Book of Mormon.” The catch is that there will only be 10 episodes per season, to be run straight through each fall. This will make it easier for fans to know if the block they are watching is the end of one season, or the beginning of the other. Not that it really matters, considering how non-linear South Park usually is.
While the Fall approaches, South Park will be working to make its way back to gaming consoles as well with the long awaited “Stick of Truth”, a send up of every role-playing game from Final Fantasy to World of Warcraft, South-Park style.
The trailer makes this seem like the merging of of a traditional, turn-based RPG with a heavy storyline akin to Telltale Games installments like The Walking Dead. With this set-up, “Stick of Truth” could very possibly become the longest South Park episode ever, including the movie.