^{Credit: South Park (Comedy Central, Paramount)} 

South Park kicked off its 27th season with a takedown of Donald Trump that would even have Saddam Hussein saying, “Damn, I got off easy by comparison.” The White House responded, “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years.” Well, between Comedy Central and Paramount+, the season opener attracted 5.9 million, which its parent company calls “the best season premiere rating since 2022.” Going by cable viewership, it was also the biggest share for a premiere since Season 3’s "Rainforest Shmainforest" in 1999. Not only is South Park still relevant, but the literal depantsing of Donald Trump has made the series as popular as ever, justifying Paramount’s $1.5 billion investment in five more seasons.

While South Park has maintained relevance for over two decades, most would agree that the golden age was sometime between Seasons 6 and 16, give or take. During that period, South Park won five Primetime Emmys in the Animated Program categories, second only to The Simpsons. After its last win for “Raising the Bar” in 2013, South Park remained a consistent Outstanding Animated Program nominee for another five years. South Park fell out of the race in 2019 when “Band in China” failed to get a nomination. Since then, South Park has only been nominated for “The Pandemic Special” in 2021. This isn’t necessarily because of a decline in quality, but with emerging shows like Arcane, Blue Eye Samurai, and Common Side Effects, an oldie was bound to get pushed out. It wasn’t going to be The Simpsons or Bob’s Burgers.

With Season 27’s “Sermon on the 'Mount” capturing the zeitgeist, it’d be surprising if South Park didn’t get an Outstanding Animated Program nomination when voters mark their ballots next year. Why stop there, though? What if South Park submitted itself in Outstanding Comedy Series? In an ideal world, animated shows would be permitted to submit in multiple series categories, although the rules require them to choose. No such rule existed when The Flintstones was nominated for Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor in 1961. Of course, there wasn’t a category specifically for animated shows back then. That changed by the time The Simpsons came along.

After winning Outstanding Animated Program twice, The Simpsons made two attempts to compete in the comedy category. It struck out both times. Apparently, voters thought that Home Improvement and Mad About You were better shows. The Simpsons gave up on sitting at the adult table, but it wouldn’t be the last animated series to try. King of the Hill aimed to submit as a comedy in 2004, although that didn’t work out either. In 2009, Family Guy finally broke into the Comedy Series race for its seventh season, losing to 30 Rock. It helped that the category had been expanded to more than five nominees. That year also operated under a blue ribbon panel system, meaning Family Guy had to win over fewer voters to get the nomination. It didn’t hurt that it was nominated on the heels of a writers strike, meaning fewer shows.

That said, Family Guy faced stiffer competition when it submitted over the next three years, missing each time. Family Guy has since switched back to Animated Program consideration. In 2013, Archer submitted its fourth season as a comedy, but it couldn’t secure the nomination. Archer eventually won an Animated Program Emmy in 2016 for Season 7’s “The Figgis Agency.” South Park is one show that’s never tried to break into Outstanding Comedy Series. Despite being a comedy staple, South Park is still a cable cartoon that’s traditionally trailed broadcast shows in the ratings. Winning Outstanding Animated Program is one thing, but an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination was never practical… until now.

Season 27 has renewed interest in South Park, bringing back fans who stopped watching regularly years ago. Even if you never watched South Park, the Trump clips definitely got your attention. Everyone is talking about South Park. You know what nobody is talking about? The Bear Season 4, which also falls under next year’s Emmy eligibility cycle. It’s unclear what other shows will compete at next year’s Emmys, although mathematically, South Park might have an easier time in the Comedy Series race.

In Outstanding Animated Program, there are only five open spots. Really, just three since The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers are automatically nominated at this point. If the second seasons of Blue Eye Samurai and X-Men '97 premiere in time, they’ll more than likely be nominated. Hulu might submit Predator: Killer of Killers for Emmy consideration. With past winners like King of the Hill and Futurama returning, not to mention the past season of Rick and Morty, it’s bound to be a stacked year for animation. Plus, who knows what new animated shows will emerge as contenders?

Conversely, Outstanding Comedy Series should have eight spots to fill. Granted, more shows are submitted in the comedy race, although only a handful are on the TV Academy’s radar. Aside from The Bear, it’s hard to say how many returning favorites will be eligible at next year’s Emmys. With What We Do in the Shadows ending last year, though, at least one slot will be open. Could South Park fill it? For that to even enter the realm of possibility, it’ll take more than a buzzy season premiere. The season’s next nine episodes will also have to hit it out of the park, sticking with Emmy voters until next summer. Comedy Central would also need to launch a passionate campaign, much like Family Guy did in 2009.

When it comes to awards, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have never been especially interested in campaigning. The duo didn’t bother attending the Emmys the five years that South Park won. That’s because Outstanding Animated Program is presented at the Creative Arts Emmys, or as Parker called it, the “Crappy Emmys.” That said, Parker and Stone have attended other award shows, like when South Park won a Peabody in 2005 and The Book of Mormon won nine Tonys in 2011. They also infamously wore dresses when “Blame Canada” got an Oscar nomination for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. If South Park got nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, Stone and Parker just might attend the Primetime Emmys. They may not expect to win, but they likely wouldn’t pass up another opportunity to piss the president off.

That could be the key to getting South Park into the comedy race. A vote for South Park is a vote against Donald Trump. That’s one of the reasons Alec Baldwin, Kate McKinnon, and Maya Rudolph all won Emmys for their political impersonations on SNL. It’s why Stephen Colbert has surged in the odds since The Late Show was canceled. In an era where censorship and cancelation loom over creatives, some are afraid to directly criticize Trump. They want an outlet to channel their animosity toward the president. A Comedy Series Emmy for South Park would be the industry’s way of collectively telling Trump that “his penis is teeny tiny”… allegedly. Those are South Park’s words, not mine, per se. 

This is all hypothetical, as nobody at South Park Studios has publicly expressed interest in a comedy series campaign. They probably aren’t even thinking about the Emmys now. Even if South Park branched out from Outstanding Animated Program, it would be a gamble. After all, The Flintstones and Family Guy are the only animated shows ever to be nominated in Outstanding Comedy Series, both under unique circumstances. The animation basis is still alive. If the nomination doesn’t pan out for South Park, though, the creators still have five Emmys already. So, there isn’t much to lose. Take a chance, and compete as a comedy! 

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