“South Park” scores renewal deals with Comedy Central, Hulu

New deal takes Cartman and Co. through 2019 and also renews Hulu pact

South Park fans received some good news Wednesday as Comedy Central renewed the half-hour animated comedy for three more seasons and thirty episodes, thru the 2019-20 television season.

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone continue to write, produce, and edit each episode.

The renewal takes South Park through its 23rd season. South Park is currently cable’s longest-running scripted program and the second-longest one only behind The Simpsons.

Subscription video-on-demand service Hulu, which became South Park’s exclusive online platform in 2014, also renewed their deal to stream all existing South Park episodes, in addition to new shows the day after they air.

Straight from the press release, here’s Comedy Central’s Doug Herzog on South Park’s durability: “Nearly two decades later, ‘South Park’ today remains as important and influential as any series on any platform and has become one of the most recognizable brands to ever come out of television. Through South Park Digital Studios we will continue to aggressively expand the reach of the ‘South Park’ brand by pursuing additional extensions and licensing opportunities worldwide.”

South Park’s deal comes on the heels of The Simpsons‘ recent two-year renewal deal, taking it through 2017 for seasons 27 and 28, respectively. Earlier this week, Cartoon Network’s Regular Show and Adventure Time were renewed for their respective eighth seasons. Both shows targets both kids and adults.

Premiering on August 13, 1997, South Park quickly became a cultural phenomenon, spawning several video games, two albums, and a feature-length movie.

Adult animation is one of TV’s most durable genres, with the most loyal audience as evidenced by the continued success of Archer, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Adult Swim, and the show that restarted the genre – The Simpsons. The shows attract hard to reach young men, especially in the 18-34 and 18-49 demo. Last season, South Park topped all scripted cable shows in adults 18-49 and men 18-34.

South Park’s 19th season begins on September 16 on Comedy Central.