Once upon a time, in the halcyon days of, like, three or four years ago, South Park aired twice a year, with half the season in the fall and half of it in the spring. Now, South Park’s seasons are shorter than ever and it only airs in the fall. It seems like a big disappointment, especially in the spring. But it’s the price we pay for more creativity from Matt and Trey—it’s the price we pay for getting games like The Stick of Truth and South Park: The Fractured But Whole.

South Park’s Short Seasons And The Fractured But Whole

It’s honestly surprising that South Park is still around; it’s entering its 20^th season this year, and is still renewed through at least season 23. It almost didn’t make it this far: there are strong intimations that Matt and Trey were pretty much done before the last renewal. They only continued because they could cut the seasons down to 10 episodes, airing in just one part of the year. That freed up the spring for them to work on other projects along the lines of Book of Mormon. So far, the two projects we know about are the games. The Stick of Truth and The Fractured But Whole required a huge amount of work from Matt and Trey and the show’s staff; after all, it looks and sounds just like an episode of the show.

That couldn’t have happened with the old split seasons of South Park. It’s not just a matter of time, but of creativity. With an extra half a year freed up to work on whatever they want, Matt and Trey could finally experiment with other media again. They could have the close involvement with a South Park video game that they always wanted, and with whatever else they cook up down the road.

And the half-seasons are better for South Park as a show, too. The last season—the first to add full season-length continuity—was widely regarded both for having a cohesive plot arc and for feeling like a return to form for the series. Is having to make less South Park letting Matt and Trey make a better South Park? It sure seems so. Between that and the Fractured But Whole, it’s pretty clearly worth the trade-off.