The most recent South Park midseason finale ended on such a note of sadness and apparent fatigue that it led to speculation creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were using their characters to prepare the show’s audience for its eventual end, perhaps sooner rather than later. The runaway success of Parker and Stone’s musical The Book of Mormon was seen as additional evidence that the now fortysomething friends might be willing to say goodbye to their foulmouthed kid creations.

While all this might still happen in time, it won’t be soon. Comedy Central announced Tuesday that the second half of the 15^th season of South Park will premiere on October 5. But rather than marking the end of the road for the series, Entertainment Weekly reports that Comedy Central has signed Parker and Stone through 2013, meaning at least two more full South Park seasons following the current one.

Good news, as even mediocre episodes of South Park are packed with juvenile laughs. The questions regarding that last episode still remain, however. Will the show keep Stan’s parents split up, and leave Stan depressed? And will Parker and Stone try to work a more mature type of humor into what has been a proudly lowbrow program, in keeping with their new Tony-winning image?

Tags: comedy central, matt stone, south park, trey parker