2025 Emmy Forecast: Top Contenders for Outstanding Animated Program

We'll keep updating this article through the season, alongside all our predictions , be sure to continuously check The News Pulse for the most recent updates on the events of 2025. Emmys The nomination phase of the election occurs between June 12 and June 23, with the official Emmy nominations being revealed on Tuesday, July 15. Following this, the final round of voting starts on August 18 and concludes on August 27. The ceremony for the 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled for Sunday, September 14, airing live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time / 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

The Status of the Competition

The Outstanding Animated Program category exemplifies the perfect Emmy voting scenario. It doesn’t hesitate to commend well-established favorites that continue to excel, yet voters in this category swiftly acknowledge innovative animated works that push the boundaries of the medium.

For instance, the latest victory for "The Simpsons" comes right after the initial two shows from a streaming platform to claim an award in their respective categories; these include "Arcane: League of Legends" and "Blue Eye Samurai," both originating from Netflix. This win also follows several other groundbreaking programs that have garnered attention, such as X-Men '97 and the prematurely cancelled Scavengers Reign " still got nominations.

Although the previous series did not get picked up by another network after concluding on Max, nor gained renewed interest when streamed by Netflix, many from its production crew have achieved some vindication through their latest project, "Common Side Effects," airing on Adult Swim. This newer show has received consistently positive feedback. Even though the late-night channel hasn’t been recognized for other awards recently, Adult Swim has claimed victory multiple times over the last ten years with programs such as "Rick and Morty" and "Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal." Consequently, whenever they introduce a promising new addition to their lineup, members of the Television Academy often pay attention.

This feeling might result in the Emmy Awards considering an anime series for nomination for the very first time. Adult Swim presents another strong candidate titled "Lazarus," crafted by the mastermind behind "Cowboy Bebop." The show incorporates music composed by renowned jazz musician Kamasi Washington and includes fight scenes devised by Chad Stahelsik, who directed "John Wick."

However, the anime series receiving significant Emmy attention is "Solo Leveling," which comes from Sony’s streaming platform Crunchyroll. Based on a popular South Korean webcomic, this action-packed show has emerged as the newest sensation for the anime destination that has set benchmarks for specialized streaming platforms. While previous Emmys have acknowledged shows greatly influenced by anime, such as "Samurai Jack" or last year’s victor "Blue-Eye Samurai," recognizing an officially Japanese-produced anime might redefine how these awards categorize content.

However, entering the scene as a newcomer network poses significant challenges. For instance, Amazon Prime Video has made notable strides in animation with hits such as "Invincible" and "Hazbin Hotel," which have become some of their most-watched series overall; nevertheless, they've never been nominated in this particular category. This persistence might eventually yield rewards, thanks to the wide array of choices at their disposal. #1 Happy Family USA ", which embodies the same fearless approach as the Emmy-winning show "South Park" when it comes to addressing contentious topics with humor. Additionally, "The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy" received a nomination at the Annie Awards in the same category as "Bob's Burgers," which has won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program several times. "Secret Level" also received multiple nominations from that awards base for individual episodes.

All that said, it is best to circle back to "Arcane: League of Legends," considering how its win for Season 1 made history, therefore making its second season one of the most highly anticipated contenders. It just might be the toughest competition out there, even amongst other former winners, given how it actually won several Annie Awards earlier this year.

Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):

"Arcane: League of Legends" (Netflix)

"Bruce Wayne: The Dark Knight" (Amazon Prime Video)

"Big Mouth" (Netflix)

"Bob's Burgers" (Fox)

"Frequently Occurring Side Effects" (Adult Swim)

"Creature Commandos" (Max)

"Devil May Cry" (Netflix)

"Invincible" (Prime Video)

"Lazarus" (Adult Swim)

"#1 Happy Family USA" (Prime Video)

"The Second Finest Hospital in the Galaxy" (Prime Video)

"Secret Level" (Prime Video)

"Solo Leveling" (Crunchyroll)

"Star Trek: Lower Decks" (Paramount+)

"The Simpsons" (Fox)

"What If…?" (Disney+)

More Category Predictions: Outstanding Talk Series

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

See The News Pulse' complete collection forecast for the 77th Emmy Awards .

Last Year's Winner: "Blue Eye Samurai"

Still Eligible: No.

Hot Streak: Although "Blue Eye Samurai" isn’t returning this year, a victory for "Arcane: League of Legends" could set several records simultaneously. This triumph would mark Netflix’s consecutive win in the category—the first instance of such an achievement for a streaming platform. Additionally, it would represent "Arcane: League of Legends'"s repeat success, making history as the inaugural streaming show to secure multiple victories within this category. Lastly, it would extend Netflix’s lead as the leading streaming network in terms of total category wins.

Notable Ineligible Series: "Scavengers Reign" (concluded); "South Park" (Season 27 does not qualify); "Rick and Morty" (Season 8 does not qualify); "Blue Eye Samurai" (Season 2 does not qualify); "X-Men '97" (Season 2 does not qualify).

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