^{Credit: The Elephant (Adult Swim), Predator: Killer of Killers (Hulu), Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (Disney+), South Park (Comedy Central), King of the Hill (Hulu), Long Story Short (Netflix), Versa (Disney+), Smiling Friends (Adult Swim)}

37 animated programs have been submitted for consideration at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, one less than last year. The Simpsons submitted "Homer? A Cracker Bro" while Bob’s Burgers entered "Grand Pre Pre Pre Opening." Both of those perpetual nominees will get back in alongside South Park for "Sermon On The 'Mount." South Park hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2021 for "The Pandemic Special." Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s savage takedown of the Trump administration will unquestionably bring South Park back into the Emmy race. Earlier this year, South Park not only won the Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Animated Series, but also scored a PGA nomination, a rare feat for animation. South Park was recently recognized at the 19th Television Academy Honors. Parker and Stone just might complete this victory lap with South Park’s sixth Emmy win. 

That still leaves two open spots for nominations. We can’t count out Netflix, which has gotten at least one show nominated in this category every year since 2019. With no Arcane or Blue Eye Samurai this year, there’s room for a new Netflix show to break through. The animated inbetween-quel Stranger Things: Tales from '85 could get nominated based on name recognition alone. Given its mixed reception, though, "Chapter Ten: Countdown" will likely sit this one out. The latest cartoon from the creators of Big Mouth, Mating Season, submitted "The Wolf Wedding." While Big Mouth was an Emmy player during its earlier seasons, it eventually fell out of grace with voters, who never went for the spinoff Human Resources either. Mating Season seems bound for the same fate. 

Netflix’s best bet is Long Story Short from Bojack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg. Submitting "Shira Can't Cook," Long Story Short balances family drama and absurdity with a non-linear narrative. It inexplicably took the Animation Peer Group five seasons to finally nominate BoJack here. Of course, Netflix wasn’t as much of an Emmy powerhouse during BoJack’s infancy. Voters should be quicker to embrace Long Story Short now that they know who Bob-Waksberg is. Netflix also has Haunted Hotel for "The Acolytes of Abaddon," and Strip Law for "Crypt Law Presents: Fearacle On 31st Day," although neither of those shows is listed on their FYC page. 

Adult Swim is another regular in Outstanding Animated Program. As much as I’d like to predict Smiling Friends for "Le Voyage Incroyable De Monsieur Grenouille," this cult favorite may end its run without an Emmy nomination. Although Rick and Morty has won this award twice, the show went overlooked for its seventh season. Rather than submit an episode from Season 8, the team went with the Season 9 opener, "There's Something About Morty," which aired just before this eligibility cycle ended. Another past winner is Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, which entered "Feast of Flesh." Although many, including Tartakovsky, assumed that Primal’s second season would be its last, Season 3 resurrected the series and its protagonist with rousing results. The quality of the animation could be enough to secure Primal a nomination. The Robot Chicken Self-Discovery Special may mark a comeback for that Emmy-winning series as well. 

As for potential newcomers, Adult Swim has Haha, You Clowns, which submitted "Therapy." Adult Swim also produced The Elephant, an experimental special where three separate teams produced the beginning, middle, and end without consulting each other. It united the talents of Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time), Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), Patrick McHale (Over the Garden Wall), and Ian Jones-Quartey (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes). McHale and Ward both have Emmys, but Sugar and Jones-Quartey remain overdue. Ward could also get a nomination for HBO Max's Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, which entered "The Worm and His Orchard."

King of the Hill was revived for a fourteenth season on Hulu. Submitting "Kahn-scious Uncoupling," the new season received praise for bringing these classic characters into modern day. Given that acclaim, it’s odd that the King of the Hill revival didn’t pick up any nominations from the CCA or Annie Awards. The Emmys have awarded King of the Hill in the past. With Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, and South Park in the mix, though, there may not be space for another legacy show. The same applies to Family Guy ("The Edible Arrangement"), American Dad! ("Powering Through"), The Great North ("It's A Beef-derful Life"), Futurama ("The White Hole"), or another Mike Judge show that came back, Beavis and Butt-Head ("Oldholio / The Discoverers"). 

Hulu has an apple in a bag of oranges with the animated feature Predator: Killer of Killers from director Dan Trachtenberg. The last feature to be nominated for Outstanding Animated Program was Entergalactic in 2023. With many feeling that Killer of Killers could’ve been nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars had it been submitted, I wouldn’t be surprised if it got in at the Emmys over Primal or Long Story Short. Hulu’s other contenders include Solar Opposites for "The Family Memories VHS Mix Tape." Meanwhile, Disney+ submitted Eyes of Wakanda for "Into the Lion's Den," Marvel Zombies for "Episode 2," Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord for "Chapter 9: Strange Allies," Star Wars: Visions for "Black," and Malcon Pierce's short Versa, which previously competed for Oscar consideration. 

Amazon Prime Video is one brand that’s never been able to break through here, despite hosting some of the best animated shows currently airing. This year, Amazon has Invincible for "Don't Do Anything Rash," Kevin for "Opening Night," Sausage Party: Foodtopia for "Sixteenth Course," The Mighty Nein for "The Zadash Job," and Hazbin Hotel for "It's a Deal." Speaking of Habzin Hotel, Vivienne Medrano’s other show, Helluva Boss, is missing here for its 2025 special, Mission: Zero. 

Every year, fans of Japanese animation hope to see anime represented here. Netflix submitted Devil May Cry for "The Panther, The Lion, The Wolf." Yet, there are no submissions here from Crunchyroll, despite their efforts last year to secure a nomination for Solo Leveling. Since that didn't pan out, Crunchyroll may be waiting for another anime to come along that can cross over to the Emmy crowd. Rounding out the ballot are Digman! for "The Fortune Pursuit," Krapopolis for "Advanced Family Portraiture," and Universal Basic Guys for "Two Marks," and Strip Law for "Crypt Law Presents: Fearacle on 31st Day."

As of now, here's how I see the nominations playing out: 

My Predictions: 
Bob’s Burgers: "Grand Pre Pre Pre Opening"
Long Story Short: "Shira Can't Cook"
Predator: Killer of Killers 
The Simpsons: "Homer? A Cracker Bro?"
South Park: "Sermon On The 'Mount"

Runner-Up: Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal: "Feast of Flesh"
Dark Horse: King of the Hill: "Kahn-scious Uncoupling"
My Dream Pick: Smiling Friends: "Le Voyage Incroyable De Monsieur Grenouille"

Full Ballot Below:

^{Credit: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS)}

Nominations for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be announced on July 8. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!