‘South Park' to Leave HBO Max Next Week as Paramount+ Becomes Show's Exclusive Streaming Home
The HBO Max and 'South Park' streaming partnership is coming to an end. The animated series from Matt Stone and Trey Parker will exit the WBD platform on Aug. 5, marking the end of a five-year run as the show's U.S. streaming home.
The exit comes after the show's production company Park County and Paramount inked a new deal, reportedly worth $1.5 billion for its parent company to become the sole streaming home of 'South Park' across the globe. A note in the show's HBO Max homepage notified viewers of its looming exit.
More from TheWrap
Seth MacFarlane Applauds the 'Incredible' Timeliness of 'South Park' – Despite Years-Long Feud With Its Creators
'Jersey Shore Family Vacation' Creator Teases Full Cast Reunion, 15 Years in the Making
'Matlock' Taps Justina Machado for Season 2 Recurring Role
'Golden Bachelor' Star Mel Owens Says He 'Deserved' Backlash Over Ageist Comments
Park County and Paramount's deal includes 50 new episodes of the hit series over five years, along with global streaming rights to its previous 26 seasons. The show previously had a dual streaming partnerships that offered Paramount+ streaming rights internationally, while HBO Max carried the show in the U.S.
Getting to this deal came with its own set of drama, however. Negotiations previously stalled between Stone, Parker and Paramount, as soon-to-be new owners Skydance reportedly interfered in locking a proposed 10-year deal for the show. The show's creators publicly clashed over the negotiations, claiming incoming Paramount entertainment president Jeff Shell for inserting himself in negotiations before the Skydance-Paramount merger had been approved by the FCC.
In the end, the parties came to terms on the lucrative five-year deal, and the media company's merger is expected to close Aug. 7.
In 'South Park' world, the deal also led to the return of the show with a new episode on July 23, which quickly went viral with its wild takedown of both Paramount Global and President Donald Trump, whose settlement with the company over a '60 Minutes' lawsuit was halting the merger's regulatory process. The episode was a ratings hit across Paramount+ and Comedy Central, scoring nearly 6 million viewers in three days — and that's not counting all the views for the full episode, as well as clips, that circulated on social media.
'South Park' returns with a new episode Wednesday, Aug. 6, on Comedy Central and streams the next day on Paramount+.
The post 'South Park' to Leave HBO Max Next Week as Paramount+ Becomes Show's Exclusive Streaming Home appeared first on TheWrap.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Carole Radziwill Makes Surprise Return to Bravo After 7 Year Absence — and Shares Hug with Andy Cohen: 'So Crazy'
The former 'Real Housewives of New York City' star reunited publicly with her former boss, after years of not speakingNEED TO KNOW Carole Radziwill made a surprise return to Bravo on Aug. 4 during an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen The former RHONY star hugged Andy Cohen and joked about being back in the Clubhouse for the first time in seven years Radziwill promoted her new CNN documentary American Prince: JFK Jr. about her cousin John F. Kennedy Jr., airing Aug. 9And just like that, Bravo's very own Carrie Bradshaw is back. Carole Radziwill made a surprise return to the network on Monday, Aug. 4, in an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. It's the first time the What Remains author has been on the network since her departure from The Real Housewives of New York City seven years ago. She famously had a falling out with executive producer Andy Cohen, though as PEOPLE exclusively revealed in November 2024, the two had squashed the beef. Certainly that's what viewers saw on his late night show. Entering into Cohen's Clubhouse after a game of 'Mystery Housewife Caller,' Radziwill greeted her former boss with a big grin and an enthusiastic hug. "It's Carole Radziwill!" Cohen told guests Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, giving her a round of applause. "Making a triumphant return! Good to see you!" Radziwill, for her part, took a moment to get used to her surroundings. "This is so crazy, by the way, to be here," she admitted, looking around. "I know, it's been a minute! Radzi, it's been a minute!" Cohen told her, using his nickname for her. Yang and Rogers then showered Radziwill with praise. "We're honored to be here for you coming back," Rogers said. "One of the things that made me fall in love with Housewives. I remember, season 7, when you went on the vacation with Dorinda [Medley] and you were both connecting over your [dead husbands], that was really when I was first truly moved by a Housewives show. I just, I love you on the show." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Before the series ended, Radziwill plugged her upcoming appearance on CNN's upcoming three-part documentary American Prince about her cousin, John F. Kennedy, Jr. It airs Aug. 9. "It's nice because I don't participate in a lot of that, but I had a chance to say something nice about John and George [magazine]," she said. "I'm probably the only woman in the world who's tired of seeing John without a shirt on, so I get to talk about what really mattered to him and his passion and his magazine and of course, Carolyn [Bessette-Kennedy]." Cohen and Radziwill were friends before she joined the cast of RHONY in season 5, which aired in 2012. The two appeared to be friendly during her years on the show, but things between them became fractured as her friendship with Bethenny Frankel fell apart. For years, the two only communicated while trading jabs in the press and on social media. But at Bravo Fan Fest 2024 in November, Cohen told PEOPLE that he and Radziwill had "reconnected" after six years of not speaking. "It feels great," the 57-year-old father of two said at the time. "Carole and I knew each other for years, before she was ever on the Housewives — for many years. I think I've known her more outside of the Housewives than I have in the Housewives. So it was definitely good to reconnect." Speaking with PEOPLE soon thereafter, Radziwill, 61, said she was glad she and Cohen had finally talked. "We both came to understand that our disagreements had everything to do with the high-pressure nature of the show and very little to do with our friendship, which preceded it," she said. "Andy and I are very much on the same page now, and I'm happy about that." Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen airs Sunday-Thursday evenings on Bravo. Read the original article on People
USA Today
27 minutes ago
- USA Today
'South Park' is leaving HBO Max as the show gets a new streaming home
"South Park" fans don't have long to binge their favorite dark comedy on HBO Max before it leaves the platform for good. All 26 seasons of Comedy Central's show are set to depart Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming service on Wednesday, Aug. 5, according to HBO Max. The exit comes after Paramount revealed an exclusive five-year licensing deal with Park County, the entertainment company founded by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. HBO Max subscribers in the United States have enjoyed the entire show's library for the past five years. Since its 1997 premiere, the animated comedy has been renewed season after season, arguably due to its raunchy humor that makes satirical digs about pop culture and politics. The new season has already stirred controversy over its July 23 episode that depicted President Donald Trump cuddling in bed with Satan, his lover, using actual photos of the president crudely placed on an animated body. In a statement to USA TODAY, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said the show "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention." Paramount Global reported a ratings milestone with the episode, titled "Sermon on the Mount," becoming the show's most-watched season premiere since 1999, with viewership up 68% from the Season 26 premiere. Where to watch 'South Park' now? All seasons of "South Park," including the 27th season, are now available to stream on Paramount+. New episodes will hit the service the day after each one airs on Comedy Central. What time does the next 'South Park' episode drop? The newest episode of "South Park" Season 27 is set to drop Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. The episode will be available to stream on Paramount+ the following day, Aug. 7, at 6 am ET/3 a.m. PT, according to the streaming platform. Contributing: Brendan Morrow, Sara Chernikoff and Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY
CBS News
28 minutes ago
- CBS News
Celebrity chef Curtis Duffy tells story of his trauma, triumphs in memoir
For 25 years, chef Curtis Duffy has been making his mark on the Chicago food scene — earning James Beard Awards, Michelin stars, and celebrity status. Now, for the first time, Duffy is telling his story in his own words — from a traumatic childhood to the top of the culinary world. Duffy's memoir, "Fireproof: Memoir of a Chef," is out on Tuesday. "For me, it's time. It's always about the time, right?" Duffy said. "You can never cheat time. Time allows us to hone our skill, hone everything that we do." Duffy has spent the last 35 years honing his craft. "I've always felt that you have a responsibility to yourself to be great," said Duffy, "and no one else is going to give that to you. No one else is going to force you to do that." It was that mindset that has helped propel Duffy from a childhood defined by chaos in small-town Ohio to becoming one of America's best chefs. He has risen through the ranks of Chicago's most critically acclaimed restaurant — Charlie Trotter's, Alinea, and Avenues — to leading his own, Grace, formerly at 652 W. Randolph St., and now, Ever at 1340 W. Fulton St. The story is spelled out in "Fireproof," written with friend Jeremy Wagner. "It gave me the opportunity to kind of just tell those stories even though I've told them before. But I actually have a place to put them away," Duffy said. "Like now, I feel like I don't have to carry them with me. I have a place to just put it on the shelf. If I want to ever dive back in, it's right there." It is clear from page one that Duffy has had a lot to carry. His parents died by murder-suicide when he was 19 years old. In his memoir, Duffy details the abuse he suffered as a child — but is careful to not paint his father as a monster. "What he was taught is what he was teaching us. He didn't know any better, you know?" said Duffy. "And for me, it was so important to kind of break that cycle as I became a father." How Duffy was able to break that cycle of poverty and abuse started with an understanding, even as a child, that there had to be something else out there. "I had dreamt, like, there's got to more than this. Like I had not seen the world, of course — I was 13 years old — but I knew there was more out there," said Duffy. "When you see a glimpse of light, you chase it. And that's what I did." That light appeared in the form of one incredible middle school teacher and an introduction to cooking. "What I felt at the time was love, you know? It was just pure positivity, and it was so needed at the time," Duffy said. "So I just embraced it so much." When Duffy found cooking, more positive influences found him. But as he poured himself into restaurant work, his father's life was falling apart. "So now at this point, everybody's out of the house — my brother, my sister, my mom, me. And I felt very sympathetic," Duffy said. "I felt very sad… because here he is all alone now, and this is his life — and he couldn't deal with it." Maybe the most surprising twist in Duffy's story is a letter his father wrote him shortly before Duffy's father took his own estranged wife hostage, killed her, and then killed himself. "Curt," it reads, "this is Dad. You're a very special young man and I wish I could tell you how proud of you I am…. You'll be a great chef, no doubt in my mind, you'll be one of the best in the world someday…. Please be a better person than I was. I know you can." Duffy said it haunts him to this day that his father wrote that letter, and there was so much love and wisdom within it. He has to reconcile that person with the person his father had been for most of his childhood. "Well, I often think about, you know, it would have been nice to have that through my life, and that affirmation through my childhood — and the belief and the vision that he sees, and he clearly writes there, verbalized to me as a child, you know? I mean, that letter is pure love," said Duffy, "and, you know, we didn't see that growing up. Very rarely, we got to see the tender, soft side of my father through that. That's why that letter is so special to me." The letter fueled Duffy to keep pushing forward and build a career in Chicago. His ascent was swift, but not without its setbacks — the biggest of which happened in 2017, after a bad investor deal prompted the abrupt and painful closure of his three-Michelin-star masterpiece, Grace. "I try to look at it from a positive side, because I learned a lot from that failure. You know, I learned a lot — and it made me a better chef, a better person, a better leader, a better businessman, a better entrepreneur to now have Ever, After, and The Canvas," said Duffy. "That was a win for me. Whether it was a loss or not, that was a win — because I'm in a much better place than I was before." At 50 years old, Duffy is the happiest he's ever been — thanks in large part to meeting the love of his life, Jennifer. "It is the best time of my life, like the last 10 years. And it's all a hundred percent because of her, and what she brings to the table every single day, you know?" Duffy said. "She makes me a better person." And "better" is what Duffy is chasing every day at his two-Michelin-star restaurant, Ever. "We're just as hungry as we were when we were chasing then," said Duffy, "and I will continue to do what I got to do every day until I get that third star. It's there." Duffy believes it is just a matter of time.
