2024 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Animated Program

Marcus Jones
·3 min read
ConsiderThis
ConsiderThis

We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2024 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 13 to June 24, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 17. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 15 and ends the night of August 26. The 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 15, and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.

The State of the Race

This year, Outstanding Animated Program is arguably the most competitive of the more recognizable Emmys categories. As proven by last year, with “The Simpsons” winning for its 34th season, it is one of the only categories where multiple shows that have been on the air for decades remain super competitive year-to-year (unlike the Variety categories, which give the same two shows Emmys every September.)

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In addition to the aforementioned longest-running Fox show is fellow past winner for the network, “Bob’s Burgers.” On air for less time, but still very much veterans to the category are Adult Swim’s “Rick and Morty,” Max’s “Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” (a continuation of the Emmy-winning Cartoon Network series), and Netflix’s “Big Mouth.”

Though the latter has received multiple Outstanding Animated Program nominations through its seven seasons, its streaming service home actually has an even bigger Emmys contender on its slate. “Blue Eye Samurai,” from Oscar-nominated screenwriter Michael Green and Amber Noizumi, swept the 51st Annie Awards in February, which bodes incredibly well for the anime-inspired action series’ Emmy chances. The last time that happened for an animated series was “Arcane: League of Legends,” another Netflix show that went on to become the first streaming series to win Outstanding Animated Program at the 2022 Emmys. Netflix boasts “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” as well, which was one of the most highly publicized and well reviewed animated premieres of the season.

Overall, it does seem like streaming services are making the biggest push into the category. Max also has “Harley Quinn” and the recently canceled “Scavengers Reign,” which both received some love from the Annie Awards, as well as “Young Love,” an extension of the popular Oscar-winning Animated Short “Hair Love.” Same could be said of “Star Trek: Lower Decks” on Paramount+.

But the real dark horses are on Amazon Prime Video, with superhero series “Invincible” and animated musical “Hazbin Hotel” being some of the streaming networks most watched series. And then there is Disney+, which has “What If…?” Season 2, but is more than likely receiving a nomination for probably the biggest animated hit of the year, “X-Men ’97.”

Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
“Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake” (Max)
“Big Mouth” (Netflix)
“Blue Eye Samurai” (Netflix)
“Bob’s Burgers” (Fox)
“Harley Quinn” (Max)
“Hazbin Hotel” (Prime Video)
“Invincible” (Prime Video)
“Rick and Morty” (Adult Swim)
“Scavengers Reign” (Max)
“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” (Netflix)
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” (Paramount+)
“The Simpsons” (Fox)
“What If…?” (Disney+)
“X-Men ’97” (Disney+)
“Young Love” (Max)

More Category Predictions:
Outstanding Talk Series
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 76th Emmy Awards.

Last Year’s Winner: “The Simpsons”
Still Eligible: Yes.
Hot Streak: “The Simpsons” is far and away the most awarded show in the category’s history with 12 wins (second is “South Park” with five), so another win would further its record. Should a Netflix series win though, it would make Netflix the first streaming service to win the category twice. For any other streaming service, it would be its first ever win for Outstanding Animated Program.
Notable Ineligible Series: “South Park” (Season 27 is not eligible); “Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal” (Season 2 is not eligible); “Arcane: League of Legends” (Season 2 is not eligible); “Human Resources” (Season 2 is not eligible); “Entergalactic” (Season 2 is not eligible)

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