South Park‘s new special is all about “2020 problems.” As if the year couldn’t get any more bizarre, the animated comedy is planning a pandemic special that will tackle the one issue on all of our minds all of the time: coronavirus, TV Guide reports. The special is taking up a whole hour, marking the first time the series will go over 30 minutes in the 23 years that South Park has been on air.
A trailer for the upcoming episode teases what to expect when covid-19 comes to South Park. We see all of the sights we’ve gotten used to by now in the show’s animated world, from face masks to plastic dividers. The official description for the upcoming special reads, “Randy comes to terms with his role in the COVID-19 outbreak as the on-going pandemic presents continued challenges to the citizens of South Park. The kids happily head back to school but nothing resembles the normal that they once knew; not their teachers, not their homeroom, not even Eric Cartman.”
Although the episode material is new to South Park, the creative team behind the pandemic special remains the same. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone will write and executive produce the special, just like every single episode of South Park since 1997.
South Park finished up its most recent season last December, and a premiere date for Season 24 has yet to be announced. The pandemic special is a standalone episode and will not mark the beginning of Season 24. Comedy Central recently renewed South Park through Season 26, doubling down on their adult animated content and late night shows.
South Park is only the latest series to take on the coronavirus. The pandemic has inspired multiple TV projects over the past six months, from Freeform’s Love in the Time of Corona to HBO’s Coastal Elites, while both Grey’s Anatomy and This Is Us plan to add coronavirus storylines to their upcoming seasons.
The South Park pandemic special airs on Comedy Central on Weds., Sept 30 at 8/7c. Watch the full trailer for the special in the video above.
