South Park debuts season 28 after confusion over season 27 length

South Park returned Wednesday night with a new episode labeled as the first of its 28th season rather than the sixth episode of season 27, a move that left viewers surprised and prompted clarification from the network. Twisted Christian aired Oct. 15 at 10 p.m. Eastern on Comedy Central and was made available the next day on the series streaming platform. The episode continues the program's ongoing serialized storyline and will be followed by new installments on Oct. 29, Nov. 12, Nov. 26 and Dec. 10, the network said.

Comedy Central and a representative for the show said the confusion stemmed from expectations about season length rather than an abrupt midrun cancellation. Both seasons 27 and 28 were planned as five-episode runs, the representative said, and no public announcement had specified a different episode count for season 27. That explanation contrasts with earlier reports that the 27th season had been intended to run 10 episodes before being shortened.

The switch comes after an unusually irregular release pattern this year. Season 27 debuted in July on a biweekly schedule, and one episode was delayed shortly before its scheduled air date. Creators Trey Parker and Matt...