Second 'South Park' special to premiere Dec. 16 on Paramount+

Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Paramount+ announced that the second South Park special would premiere Dec. 16. South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID resolves the cliffhanger in the Thanksgiving special.

South Park: Post COVID premiered Nov. 25. It picked up 40 years after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stan, Kyle and Cartman are now middle-aged and life is only just now getting back to normal. Kenny was working on a cure for COVID, but died mysteriously, so the characters reunited as adults for Kenny's funeral.

Investigating the circumstances of Kenny's death, the boys discovered a link to their childhood in South Park, Colo. The special ended in a cliffhanger where the boys would attempt to follow Kenny's formula to travel back in time and prevent the pandemic.

The trailer shows the grown-up boys wearing aluminum foil claiming to be from the future. Cartman, now a rabbi, gives a sermon about people trying to go back in time.

These two specials are part of creator Trey Parker and Matt Stone's new deal for South Park content. They will produce 14 total for Paramount+, while continuing the Comedy Central series through Season 30 in 2027.

Post COVID ran 60 minutes without commercial interruptions. Paramount+ has not announced the running time of The Return of COVID.