The most recent midseason finale of South Park, “You’re Getting Old,” generated a lot of talk among fans about whether it suggested that Trey and Matt were tired of doing the show and were about to call it quits. (The episode, surprisingly poignant for one largely involving poop jokes, focused on Stan’s growing cynicism and his parents’ breakup, which some viewers read as a stand-in for the creators’ feelings.) And when I say “generated a lot of talk,” I’m thinking of the commenters who said I “missed the point of the episode” by not calling it Matt and Trey’s goodbye note. I’m sure they do get tired of doing the show, but they’ve said that so often that I’ll believe they’re actually quitting when they burn down the studios.
So yes, my own cynicism feels somewhat vindicated by today’s news in EW that Comedy Central has signed the show through 2013, meaning at least two more seasons. But I’m torn. I love the show and theoretically never want it to end. On the other hand, it’s had a lot of uninspired stretches lately, and part of me was jazzed by the idea of a closing arc that might send the characters out on a creative high. You tell me, South Park fans: is this good news?
