1998 "Kenny", "Cartman", "Kyle", and "Stan" are the characters in the hit series "South Park."

1998 “Kenny”, “Cartman”, “Kyle”, and “Stan” are the characters in the hit series “South Park.”

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South Park returns with the fifth episode in its 27th season this week, but what it will be about is anybody’s guess.

South Park, of course, has put its political commentary on full blast this season, with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone pulling out all the stops in their skewering of President Donald Trump, his administration and his policies surrounding immigration and global tariffs.

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Episode 2 this season has taken on a new meaning since it was released on Aug. 3, however, because it mocked conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In the wake of Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, the debate has intensified between Republicans and Democrats over whether inflammatory rhetoric has led to an escalation in political violence.

Comedy Central removed reruns of the Kirk episode from its cable lineup the day of Kirk’s death, but it continues to make the show available for streaming on Paramount+. After the episode first aired, Kirk made it clear that he wasn’t offended by it and even told Fox News (via Newsweek) that being mocked on South Park was a “badge of honor.”

Now, a week after Kirk’s assassination, the big question of whether South Park will continue to get political and skewer the right wing in Episode 5 or avoid politics altogether remains unanswered.

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As of Tuesday night, South Park’s X account still hasn’t teased any hints of what Episode 5 will be about, something the show has done consistently before the previous three episodes.

Unless the South Park drops an 11th-hour teaser, Episode 5’s storyline will not be revealed until the show airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. After that, the episode will be available on Paramount+ on Thursday morning. Typically, new episodes of South Park begin streaming on Paramount+ at 6 a.m. ET/3 a.m. PT.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 24: (L-R) Matt Stone and Trey Parker speak onstage during Comedy Central Adult Animation’s: South Park, Beavis & Butt-Head, Digman! panel at San Diego Comic-Con at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Paramount+)

Getty Images for Paramount+Will ‘South Park’ Continue To Release New Episodes Every Other Week?

While Comedy Central wasn’t forthcoming with the media over South Park Season 27 release schedule in July, the cable channel noted after the airing of Episode 3 in mid-August that its two upcoming episodes in September would be released on Sept. 3 and Sept. 17.

And while new episodes of South Park have been released every other week since the season kicked off Sept. 23, Comedy Central has yet to make a formal announcement about whether the rest of Season 27’s episodes will continue to be released in two-week intervals.

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Given the show’s current pace through the first half of the season, it seems unlikely that Parker and Stone will begin to release episodes weekly.

South Park Season 27, Episode 5 will be released on cable on Comedy Central at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Wednesday and begin streaming on Paramount+ on Thursday at 6 a.m. ET/3 a.m. PT.

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