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.
Click on for more of our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The State of the Race
Decades in, it definitely feels like when in doubt, Emmy voters will mark “The Simpsons” on their ballot if nothing else has made a splash. And at this point in time, that is not necessarily a bad thing since the long-running Fox series has hit a new stride, making last year’s Outstanding Animated Program win very well-earned. But a few of the nominees did make a splash this year, whether it was within the animation community, or an even wider general audience, so it does not look like a year for voters to rest on their laurels.
The Emmys being an awards organization voted on by peers makes the Annie Awards, which are also voted on by industry professionals, a great bellwether for what could win. And this year, Netflix sweeped with its new series “Blue Eye Samurai” created by Michael Green and Amber Noizumi. Two years ago Netflix became the first and only streaming service to win this category with “Arcane: League of Legends,” which had a similar showing at the 2022 Annie Awards.
However, “Blue Eye Samurai” has ultimately been more of a critical success than a commercial one. Not eligible for this past Annie Awards, but now nominated for the Emmy is “X-Men ’97,” which has become a huge success story for Disney+. The follow-up to the iconic 90s Saturday morning cartoon is Marvel Studios first official take on the X-Men, and in an off period for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been seen as a blueprint for the kinds of stories comic book adaptation fans would like to see in the future. Unlike its fellow nominees, it also transcended animation categories at smaller award shows like the Gotham TV Awards and the TCA Awards, which both recognized the show as a drama.
The reason why “X-Men ’97” gets the edge is that while “Blue Eye Samurai” is of more consistent quality (the “X-Men ’97” take on the famous comic arc “Lifedeath” was a bit of a lowpoint,) Outstanding Animated Program is based on episodes, and the fifth episode of the Disney+ series, titled “Remember It,” is one of the most well-regarded episodes of any show this season.
If there is a dark horse in the race, it is “Scavengers Reign,” which was also nominated for a few Annie Awards, but was canceled by Max shortly afterwards. Moving to Netflix right as Emmy nominations voting commenced, it garnered enough of a cult following to make the cut here, so some voters may see a win for the series as a way to convince Netflix to save the show by ordering a second season.
Nominees are listed in order of their likelihood to win.
Power Rankings:
- “X-Men ’97” (Disney+)
- “Blue Eye Samurai” (Netflix)
- “The Simpsons” (Fox)
- “Scavengers Reign” (Max)
- “Bob’s Burgers” (Fox)
Will Win: “X-Men ’97”
Could Win: “Blue Eye Samurai”
Should Win: “Blue Eye Samurai”
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)