2026 Nominees

The Simpsons

20th Television Animation

USA

- Animated Series

After 37 seasons, the Simpsons had traveled everywhere but Mexico. We finally took them there through Springfield’s most famous Latin American resident: Bumblebee Man. The idea was simple—Homer becomes Bumblebee Man’s stunt double. Homer in a bee suit getting kicked in the crotch writes itself. But it became more than slapstick: a love letter to our Latin American audience. We told a heartfelt story about an aging physical comedian, packed with references to Mexican TV, music, and folklore. Alejandro González Iñárritu played himself, Los Tigres del Norte recorded an original corrido, and we even threw Homer down the steps of Teotihuacan. Casting Humberto Vélez—the iconic Latin American voice of Homer—and animating his likeness honored the idea that their Homer is our Homer too. At a fraught time, we wanted viewers to know there’s always room for them on the couch next to The Simpsons.