The serialization in South Park Season 20 didn’t work out. Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker know it too, titling the season finale “The End of Serialization as We Know It.”
So what went wrong?
Part of the blame falls on the intensely serial structure. While having a bit of continuity between episodes worked wonders for Season 19, refreshing South Park’s storytelling possibilities, Season 20 took it too far. Episodes began to blur together and the season felt trapped servicing all the storylines set in motion at the beginning. There was simply no room for great one-off episodes like “Tweek x Craig.”
But subject matter also has a share in the blame. Just like everyone else in the country (except Bill Mitchell), South Park was caught by surprise when Trump won the presidential election, upending the rest of the season. Not only did they scramble to rewrite “Oh Jeez,” but the surprising, new vision of America’s future left South Park without a strong stance. The show, typically so bold, had only our same stupefaction and uncertainty to offer back to us.
Still, that finale title suggests they’ve learned some lessons. And, with the show renewed through Season 23, they’ll definitely have the opportunity to try a new approach. So when will South Park Season 21 debut, presumably with less serialization this time?
While there’s no premiere date scheduled, South Park has stuck to a consistent release schedule in recent years. Both Season 19 and Season 20 debuted the second weekend in September. So the most likely release date for South Park Season 21 would be Wednesday, Sept. 13. Since Season 17 and 18 chose the third weekend, Sept. 20 is also a possibility.
