One of the big selling points of the HBO Max streaming service is that it will boast all 23 seasons of the Comedy Central animated series “South Park”.
Now, Deadline reports that all the show’s episodes to date have come online and are available on HBO Max. That is, with the exception of five episodes that have not been made available to any streaming service including this one.
The missing episodes were reportedly not part of the 23-season package shopped by Viacom to streamers last year by series producer South Park Studios. The controversial episodes reportedly violate a widespread Islamic belief that depictions of Muhammad or any of the other prophets of Islam are forbidden as they encourage the worship of idols. This includes images, drawings, statues and cartoons.
The missing episodes include the fifth season’s “Super Best Friends” and the fourteenth season’s “200” and “201”. Those episodes were similarly not a part of a streaming deal with Hulu and also have not been available on the official “South Park” website. The tenth season’s “Cartoon Wars Part I” and “Cartoon Wars Part 2” are also not on HBO Max, but previously were available on the official “South Park” website.
HBO Max licensed “South Park” last year for a deal estimated to be worth more than $500 million. The series has been renewed for three more seasons by Comedy Central, with new episodes expected to be available on HBO Max 24 hours after their initial airing.
