Speculation is currently growing among the fans about season 23 being the final season. This is because there hasn’t been any announcement from Comedy Central or South Park creators on a new contract extending the series. The current contract that South Park has is the last season that creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are obligated to produce. In the past, the contract extensions for the show have been announced at least a year in advance. But with the clock counting down for the air date of the new season, this seems like a major red flag to many fans and critics.

Since South Park’s original air date on August 13th, 1997, it has cranked out twenty-two shocking seasons, totaling 283 episodes that have pushed the envelope. The show isn’t afraid to boldly go where no show has gone before. It’s currently the second longest running animated series on television next to The Simpsons. The Simpsons currently have 30 seasons composed of 669 generational family friendly episodes. South Park has a hardcore fan base that has pushed it to rival The Simpsons, but the notorious raunchy comedy’s longevity is being questioned. This due to the rise in growing public opinion over political correctness and somewhat sensitive real life issues that the show might cover.

Fans are anxiously awaiting news on the show after being disappointed by Comedy Central when they were expecting to receive updates at San Diego’s 2019 Comic Con back in July. The show’s website South Park Studios and the Twitter account haven’t made the slightest hint towards its future. People are wondering if this is a publicity stunt to draw attention to what could be the show’s most anticipated announcement for the future of its franchise. The show celebrated the 20th anniversary of its movie South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut back in June. South Park’s newest season will be airing on the 25th of September at 10:00 PM ET/PT. Watch the official trailer below.