For the first time ever, there were six Emmy nominees for Best Animated Program instead of the typical five, due to a tie in the nominations phase. But the winner was never really in doubt.
As expected, South Park took home the prize during the Creative Arts Emmys on Sunday.
The politically charged 27th season went viral for its weekly takedowns of President Donald Trump, including depicting him completely naked and unpixelated. The season premiere, “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” was submitted for Emmy consideration. That’s the one in which Trump, newly in love with Satan, forces the titular Colorado town to integrate Christianity into its schools.
In response to the anti-Trump rhetoric, the administration blasted South Park as a “fourth-rate show” with “uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.” TV critics and fans, meanwhile, praised the show’s fearless satire, particularly its attacks on Paramount, its streaming home, for its Trump-approved merger with Skydance Media.
South Park went into Sunday’s ceremony with a 100% chance of winning Best Animated Program, according to the Gold Derby experts. When combined with Gold Derby users and editors, the show is still the prohibitive favorite at 91%.
The other five Emmy nominees were Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, Smiling Friends, and Star Wars: Visions.
South Park was one of the most talked-about shows of the season, which helps explain why showrunners Trey Parker and Matt Stone were recently inducted into the TV Hall of Fame. They’re both nominated at the Emmys as producers, while Parker is also up for his voice-over performance as Satan and as a songwriter for “Christian Woman.”
This was the 19th program nomination for South Park, and its first since “The Pandemic Special” in 2021. The raunchy ‘toon has now won the top category six times.
Only The Simpsons has won more Best Animated Program trophies, with 12 total, including most recently for “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII” in 2023. Matt Groening’s series also holds the record for the most nominations, at 35.
An earlier version of this story was published on Aug. 31.
