The “South Park” Season 27 premiere controversy paid off with impressive viewership. The episode scored 5.9 million viewers across Comedy Central and Paramount+ in its first three days, according to Nielsen and internal data.
The episode, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount” and featuring a viral takedown of President Trump and Comedy Central parent company Paramount Global, earned “South Park” its biggest linear season premiere share since 1999 with 9.20. The share also marked a 68% increase from the Season 26 premiere in 2023, which scored a 5.48. It also marked the show’s best season premiere rating since 2022 with a 0.996, up 15% from the Season 26 premiere rating of 0.866.
The episode ended as the No. 1 telecast across cable on its premiere night on July 23.
The ratings success of the return of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s animated comedy should come as no surprise, as it quickly became a viral sensation upon its premiere. Paramount boasted that the premiere episode was the show’s biggest episode ever across social channels, and also the most-talked about TV series on its premiere night.
“South Park” also trended on X for over 12 hours, ranking No. 1 for five hours. The episode was shared in full across social media upon its release, and key clips were shared on YouTube and on the South park Studios site, giving even bigger visibility to the bombshell episode.
“Sermon on the ‘Mount” poked fun at Trump and his settlement with Paramount Global over a “60 Minutes” lawsuit. The bold installment featured a fake PSA featuring a not-entirely-AI naked Trump frolicking in the desert, the result of a settlement between the president and the town at the center of the series.
“South Park” returns with a new episode Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. An encore airing of the premiere is set to air this Wednesday.
