^{Credit: South Park (Comedy Central)}

Last August, following its Season 27 premiere, I argued that South Park should consider submitting for Outstanding Comedy Series at the upcoming 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. Throughout its nearly thirty-year run, South Park has habitually submitted for Outstanding Animated Program, winning five times. Rules prevent animated shows from being submitted in multiple series categories. Only two animated shows have been nominated as comedies: The Flintstones and Family Guy, both of which got in under specific circumstances. There wasn’t an animation category when The Flintstones got nominated, and Family Guy squeezed into an expanded lineup under a Blue Ribbon Panel system. Several other animated shows have tried breaking into the comedy series race, including The Simpsons, Archer, and King of the Hill. It didn’t pan out in those cases. 

South Park has never submitted as a comedy, despite being one of the funniest shows on TV. Given the bias against animation, the odds of South Park getting an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination were always slim, even with its best seasons. This year could be different, however. Seasons 27 and 28, which are really one season, made headlines with a relentless takedown of President Donald Trump. While South Park has trolled the Trump administration in the past, they went harder than ever with these past ten episodes, essentially making POTUS the reincarnation of Saddam Hussein and putting him in a sexual relationship with Satan, who becomes pregnant with his antichrist. 

Whether you’ve always been a loyal South Park viewer or you stopped watching years ago, the image of Trump and his micro penis in bed with an unsatisfied Satan collectively had the Internet saying, “Thank you, Matt Stone and Trey Parker.” The season brought other highlights, including Jesus trying to find his place among MAGA Christians, Cartman vomit-laughing over the 6 or 7 trend, and a Charlie Kirk parody that aged awkwardly… but is still pretty hilarious. The only downside about Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi recently getting canned is that they likely won’t appear in the next season. Then again, maybe South Park can do something with Bryon Noem’s alleged “bimbofication” lifestyle. 

Whatever episode is submitted at the Emmys, South Park has cemented itself as the Outstanding Animated Program frontrunner. Over this past awards season, South Park won Best Animated Series at the Critics’ Choice Awards. It also got nominated for Best TV/Media - Mature at the Annie Awards. Although it lost that award to Common Side Effects, it was still the first time since 2013 that ASIFA-Hollywood nominated South Park for anything, which is telling. Most notably, South Park was nominated against four live-action comedies at the Producers Guild Awards. While that prize naturally went to The Studio, this proved that South Park can get nominated alongside live-action shows. 

This enforces my argument that South Park should consider submitting for Outstanding Comedy Series at the Emmys, especially since The Studio isn’t eligible this year. That likely means Hacks will cakewalk its way to another win for its final season. The only other past winner in contention is The Bear. Several past nominees will be in play, including Only Murders in the Building, Abbott Elementary, Nobody Wants This, Shrinking, Wednesday, Palm Royale, and Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat. While those shows are still generally well-liked in the industry, none of them had a water cooler moment this past season as South Park did.

There haven’t been a ton of breakout comedies this past year. The Chair Company and Rooster were well-received, but neither exploded like The Studio did last year. There’s still a month and a half for a newcomer like Margo's Got Money Troubles to catch on. If this year’s freshman shows underwhelm, though, Emmy voters may embrace an older show they’ve overlooked in the past. I’d personally love to see Ted Season 2 get nominated, although it seems unlikely. Emmy voters may go for the final season of The Comeback, which has been gaining buzz. If they see South Park on the ballot, though, voters may gravitate toward an orange in a bag of apples, the orange being Trump in this case. 

If one thing is working against South Park, aside from the animation bias, it’s that the reception to Seasons 27 and 28 was somewhat mixed. Cartoon Contender ranked South Park the best animated show of 2025. For all the critical praise, some have argued that South Park has become “too political.” South Park has always been political, but it’s understandable why some would find the Trump trolling repetitive after a while. This is the Emmys we’re talking about, however. Nothing is ever “too political” for this group. Alec Baldwin even won an Emmy for playing Trump on SNL. It was less about the quality of Baldwin’s impression and more about sticking it to Trump, who never won an Emmy for The Apprentice. 

That’s not to say that politics always equals an Emmy. The Stephen Colbert-co-created Our Cartoon President never got nominated. In 2019, Family Guy submitted the episode "Trump Guy," which didn’t get nominated for Outstanding Animated Program. None of those Trump takedowns took off like South Park’s did, however. In an era where more comedies seem to be laying off Trump out of fear of Brendan Carr’s censorship, South Park is doubling down. Paramount may be the most Trump-friendly studio under David Ellison’s tyranny, but South Park is such a profitable brand that Comedy Central hasn’t radically cracked down on Parker and Stone. A vote for South Park would be a middle finger to Trump, which Emmy voters may have a hard time resisting.

South Park submitting as a comedy would be a gamble. If it competes for Outstanding Animated Program, South Park will surely get nominated and probably win, although a more artistically ambitious show like Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal could always surprise. If South Park competes as a comedy, the nomination would be its win. While South Park is timely, so is Hacks, which speaks to the industry more than ever as late-night hosts are being yanked off the air. So the question is, “Would South Park rather win Outstanding Animated Program for the sixth time or become the third animated series to get nominated as a comedy?”

The producers will probably play it safe in the animated race, but if any South Park crew members read this, here are three reasons you should roll the dice on a comedy series campaign:

1. A Comedy Series nomination for South Park might've seemed like a pipe dream in the past. It could legitimately happen now, given the political climate, this year's competition, and the industry's response to Seasons 27-28. 

2. As an animated program, South Park has been exclusively invited to the Creative Arts Emmys. If nominated as a comedy, the crew would finally get to attend the main Emmy ceremony, which Parker and Stone might actually show up for.

3. Do you really want to live in a world where your arch-rival Family Guy has an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination, but South Park doesn’t? Also, there’s still an outside chance Ted Season 2 gets nominated. You have to admit it’d be pretty funny if South Park got nominated against a Seth MacFarlane show.  

The entry deadline for Primetime Emmy programs is May 7, 2026. Nominations 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!