Colbert went scorched-earth and got the axe. Paramount is now betting $1.5 billion that the South Park guys will somehow behave.
BREAKING NEWS
Paramount has reached a $1.5 billion deal to bring South Park home to Paramount+, just days before the show’s 27th season premieres and amid its looming merger with Skydance. The company will pay Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Park County $300 million a year for global streaming rights, securing ten episodes annually and a whole lot of potential mayhem.
What makes this timing especially rich is what just happened to Stephen Colbert. His Late Show was canceled for “financial reasons” after years of unfiltered criticism aimed at Donald Trump and months at Paramount itself, which needs Trump’s approval to complete its massive merger with Skydance. Colbert’s scorched-earth energy didn’t survive the boardroom. But now, with Parker and Stone, Paramount is gambling on creators whose entire business model is targeting whatever moves.
This is not about safe, sanitized content. Parker and Stone nearly sued the company last week over contract terms. They settled on a five-year deal instead of ten, with Skydance signing off under pressure to avoid a PR disaster ahead of Comic-Con. As part of a 2007 joint venture, the duo will also split streaming revenue with Paramount, ensuring they profit directly from whatever chaos ensues.
The irony is stark. Colbert goes too hard, loses his show. The South Park guys threaten litigation and still walk away with a billion-dollar deal. In post-merger Hollywood, polite doesn’t pay. Provocation, apparently, does.
Paramount isn’t just licensing a hit. It’s outsourcing its edge. The only question is how long before Cartman, too, turns his attention to his new corporate landlords. Odds are, he’s already pissed off about it.
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