(Deadline) All 23 seasons of the Comedy Central animation South Park are available on HBO Max — except for five episodes that depict Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.
Sources tell Deadline the missing episodes were not part of the 23-season package shopped by Viacom to streamers last year, and Viacom had made the decision to exclude them in agreement with series producer South Park Studios before the show was licensed to HBO Max.
The controversial episodes 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. The prohibitions cover images, drawings, statues and cartoons.
