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2023 Peabody Awards Winners

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The Peabody Awards were announced May 9, the winners “selected to represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting, streaming, and interactive media during 2022.”

They were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,400 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web/digital in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service and interactive programming.

The complete list is here. The winners of genre interest follow.

ARTS

Fire of Love

The documentary Fire of Love centers on Katia and Maurice Krafft, French volcanologists bound by a mutual passion for the scientific study of active volcanoes. Directed by Sara Dosa, Fire of Love tells their story through the Kraffts’ own archive of images, featuring spectacular, up-close footage of volcanic eruptions taken by the couple as they relentlessly defy danger to gain proximity to ineluctable forces of nature. The result is at once an intimate portrait of an ordinary marriage and a celebration of scientific determination at its most extraordinary.

National Geographic Documentary Films presents A Sandbox Films Production / An Intuitive Pictures & Cottage M Production (Disney+)

ENTERTAINMENT

Andor

Few other long-running franchises loom as large in today’s contemporary pop cultural imagination than Star Wars. Yet amid stories of destiny-driven heroes and doomed superpowered villains, Tony Gilroy’s Andor tackles that familiar galaxy with plenty of spectacle, but also a keen-eyed commitment to mirroring our own mundane trials and tribulations as it follows scavenger Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), who unwittingly becomes radicalized in the wake of a police state intent on crushing any and all signs of the Rebel Alliance.

Lucasfilm Ltd. (Disney+)

Los Espookys

Primarily a Spanish-language comedy with English subtitles, this half-hour American series pays homage to Latin America’s passion for the paranormal and Hollywood’s love of horror, all inside a deadpan comedy with telenovela influences, created and written by Julio Torres, Ana Fabrega, and Fred Armisen. Cassandra Ciangherotti, Bernardo Velasco, Torres, Fabrega, and Armisen play a group of misfits who bond over their shared love of the macabre and turn their penchant for horror and gore into a start-up business

HBO in association with Broadway Video, Antigravico and Mas Mejor (HBO Max)

Severance

In this prescient Apple TV+ series, director and executive producer Ben Stiller and creator Dan Erickson, along with their brilliant cast, probe what it means to live a meaningful life if given the choice of separating our work and non-work lives. Severance details the emotional and psychological effects of the micro-practices of discipline and control that its characters endure. And yet at its most hopeful, Severance examines the desire for meaning, the emotional power of memory, the bonds of social attachment, and the urge to rebel against subjugation and control.

Fifth Season / Red Hour Productions in association with Apple (Apple TV+)

INTERACTIVE & IMMERSIVE

ContraPoints

Through her YouTube channel, ContraPoints, Natalie Wynn defies simplicity, having developed a following of more than one million subscribers by producing long video essays that dissect trending topics and social phenomena, from “Canceling” to “Cringe,” “Incels” to “JK Rowling.” Using history, theory, pop culture references, and comedic acting, she helps us understand the deeper nuances of what’s trending.

Natalie Wynn (YouTube)

Lucy and the Wolves in the Walls

Through the endearing and earnest narrative of Lucy and the Wolves in the Walls, Fable Studio deftly invites us to shift our perspective—to see the world as experienced by its eight-year-old protagonist, Lucy, through an interactive VR journey that continues across multiple platforms. As the young girl’s imaginary friend, we are invisible to all other characters in her life, but for Lucy we are witness, confidant, and fellow explorer. Central to Lucy’s story is the delicate balance of truth, evidence, and belief; and at its heart, a celebration of wonder.

Fable Studio, Third Rail Projects, Sound+Design, Story Studio & Experiences (Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest)

The Uncensored Library

A meticulous, artistically-rendered Minecraft build, The Uncensored Library is a monument to press freedom and an innovative back door for access to censored content. Leveraging Minecraft’s availability in countries where other media is blocked, The Uncensored Library has allowed more than 20 million gamers in 165 countries to access censored articles, available in English and the original language, from acclaimed independent journalists under threat by the authoritative regimes of places such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Mexico, Egypt, and Vietnam.

Media.Monks, Reporters without Borders, DDB Germany (Minecraft)

[Thanks to Chris Barkley for the story.]

Peabody Awards 2022 Nominees

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The Peabody Awards 2022 nominations were released today, a total of 60 covering the categories of entertainment, documentaries, news, podcast/radio, children’s & youth, public service and arts.

“Following yet another turbulent year, Peabody is proud to honor an array of stories that poignantly and powerfully help us make sense of the challenges we face as a nation and world,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Demonstrating the immense power of stories, these nominees exposed our societal failures and celebrated the best of the human spirit. They are all worthy of recognition, and Peabody is proud to celebrate them.”

There are two nominees of genre interest. The complete list is here.

ENTERTAINMENT

Station Eleven

This post-apocalyptic drama based on Emily St. John Mandel’s novel follows several characters through a devastating flu pandemic and its aftermath 20 years later as they try to rebuild community through art, despite opposition from a violent cult with a charismatic leader.
HBO Max presents a Paramount Television Studios Production in association with Tractor Beam Productions, Shadowfox Productions, Stone Village Television, Inc., Pacesetter Productions, and Super Frog (HBO/HBO Max)

The Underground Railroad

Barry Jenkins created this fantasy/historical drama based on the book by Colson Whitehead, telling the magical realist tale of Cora, an enslaved woman in Georgia, riding an imagined underground railroad—trains and all—to freedom.
Plan B, PASTEL, Big Indie with Amazon Studios (Amazon Prime)

[Thanks to Chris Barkley for the story.]

Peabody Awards: 2019 Winners

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The Peabody Awards has named 30 programs as the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and digital media during 2019.

Here is the complete list of winners in the Entertainment category, which include programs of genre interest Chernobyl, Stranger Things and Watchmen. .

ENTERTAINMENT

  • “Chernobyl” HBO Miniseries and SKY in association with Sister, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games (HBO)

This emotionally searing miniseries about the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and political aftermath is written, acted, and composed to perfection.

  • “David Makes Man” Page Fright and Outlier Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

This visually stunning coming-of-age drama by Tarell Alvin McCraney follows a gifted 14-year-old African American boy (superbly acted by Akili McDowell) growing up in the projects in Florida and haunted by the death of a friend.

  • “Dickinson” Apple / wiip / Anonymous Content / Tuning Fork Productions / Sugar 23 Productions (Apple TV+)

While set in the appropriate time, this historical dramedy about famous poet Emily Dickinson is infused and energized by a fresh, contemporary sense and sensibility.

  • “Fleabag” All3Media International Limited and Amazon Studios (Prime Video)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge writes and stars in the second season of the hilarious and caring show about a woman struggling with the death of a friend, and attraction to a hot priest.

Ramy Youssef writes and stars in a touching, thoughtful, and very funny sitcom focusing on a first-generation American Muslim and his family in New Jersey.

Season three continues the fun, nostalgic, horror-meets-sci-fi series about a group of adolescents fighting dark forces in their 1980s Indiana town.

  • “Succession” HBO Entertainment in association with Project Zeus, Hyperobject Industries, and Gary Sanchez Productions (HBO)

Boasting one of the best ensembles on television, the second season of this satiric comic drama follows the devolution of the fictional Roy media magnate family, and their battles over who will succeed its imperial patriarch.

  • “Unbelievable” Timberman-Beverly Productions, Sage Lane Productions, Escapist Fare, Katie Couric Media, and CBS Television Studios for Netflix (Netflix)

The superb dramatization of intersecting, albeit vastly-differently-executed investigations into a serial rapist, features standout performances from Toni Collette, Merritt Weaver, and Kaitlyn Dever.

  • “Watchmen” HBO in association with White Rabbit, Paramount, Warner Bros. Television and DC (HBO)

Brilliantly penned by Damon Lindelof, this high concept sci-fi superhero show refashions the famed DC Comics series to tell a story about racism, policing, fear, and more.

  • “When They See Us” Participant Media, Tribeca Productions, Harpo Films, Array Filmworks for Netflix (Netflix)

Devastating and commanding, the powerful miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five case and the lives it ruined, offers riveting work from a strong ensemble cast.

The organization also announced FRONTLINE and The Simpsons as recipients of Institutional Awards. This distinctive honor goes to programs that have made a significant impact on media programming and the cultural landscape. Cicely Tyson was named winner of the Peabody Career Achievement Award on Monday.

INSTITUTIONAL AWARD: THE SIMPSONS

On December 17, 1989, the clouds parted in the now-iconic opening sequence of “The Simpsons,” inviting the world into the town of Springfield for the first time. Already well known to fans of “The Tracey Ullman Show”—which ran a series of animated shorts by creator Matt Groening starting in 1987—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie would soon rocket to international fame. “The Simpsons,” with nearly 700 full episodes to date, is now the longest-running scripted prime-time series in American television history, and likely the most globally recognized program in history.

Following a decade of earnest family sitcoms, the brash yellow splash of “The Simpsons” on TV cleared the way for a more satiric-parodic, deeply ironic mode of comedy. From the outset, the program was eager to question and rib not just the medium its viewers grew up on, but the beliefs upon which they were structured. Decades later, the effect of its witty humor and willingness to question authority is evident in similarly important comedies that followed in Homer’s four-toed path.

“The Simpsons” expanded notions of what the sitcom could be. It gifted us a wonderful family caught between the poles of father Homer’s delightful ignorance and daughter Lisa’s endearing brilliance, a family that would fumble, fight, and fail, and yet who loved each other in spite of it all. It boldly and inventively ushered animation back into primetime. And it has found ways to remain funny, fresh, and insightful while trusting and respecting its audience’s intelligence. In one episode, Homer thumps his television angrily, demanding that it “be more funny.” Peabody commends “The Simpsons” writers, animators, and cast for answering Homer’s call for 30 years.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the story.]

2019 Peabody Awards Nominees

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The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors has selected 60 nominees that “represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and digital media during 2019.”

The complete list of nominees is here. Below are all the nominees in categories which include items of genre interest.

Works of genre interest in the Entertainment category are Chernobyl, Float, Good Omens, Stranger Things and Watchmen.

In the Children’s & Youth category, Treasure Island 2020 includes time traveling pirates.

CHILDREN’S & YOUTH

This captivating animated show explores Alaskan Native culture and traditions though the eyes of young Molly.

This wonderfully fun podcast inventively reworks Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic, now with time traveling pirates.

ENTERTAINMENT

  • “Chernobyl” HBO Miniseries and SKY in association with Sister, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games (HBO)

This emotionally searing miniseries about the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and political aftermath is written, acted, and composed to perfection.

  • “David Makes Man” Page Fright and Outlier Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

This visually stunning coming-of-age drama by Tarell Alvin McCraney follows a gifted 14-year-old African American boy (superbly acted by Akili McDowell) growing up in the projects in Florida and haunted by the death of a friend.

  • “Dickinson” Apple / wiip / Anonymous Content / Tuning Fork Productions / Sugar 23 Productions (Apple TV+)

While set in the appropriate time, this historical dramedy about famous poet Emily Dickinson is infused and energized by a fresh, contemporary sense and sensibility.

  • “Fleabag” All3Media International Limited and Amazon Studios (Prime Video)

Phoebe Waller-Bridge writes and stars in the second season of the hilarious and caring show about a woman struggling with the death of a friend, and attraction to a hot priest.

A figuratively and literally uplifting animated short about parenting a child who is different from their peers.

This adaptation of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s novel about the unlikely friendship of an evil and a good angel and the march to the end of the world is gloriously fun and genre-bending.

  • “Our Boys” HBO in association with Keshet Media Group and MoviePlus Productions (HBO)

Gripping and heart-wrenching, the series tells the story of the 2014 “retaliation” kidnapping and murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, and the ensuing investigation.

Ramy Youssef writes and stars in a touching, thoughtful, and very funny sitcom focusing on a first-generation American Muslim and his family in New Jersey.

Season three continues the fun, nostalgic, horror-meets-sci-fi series about a group of adolescents fighting dark forces in their 1980s Indiana town.

  • “Succession” HBO Entertainment in association with Project Zeus, Hyperobject Industries, and Gary Sanchez Productions (HBO)

Boasting one of the best ensembles on television, the second season of this satiric comic drama follows the devolution of the fictional Roy media magnate family, and their battles over who will succeed its imperial patriarch.

  • “Unbelievable” Timberman-Beverly Productions, Sage Lane Productions, Escapist Fare, Katie Couric Media, and CBS Television Studios for Netflix (Netflix)

The superb dramatization of intersecting, albeit vastly-differently-executed investigations into a serial rapist, features standout performances from Toni Collette, Merritt Weaver, and Kaitlyn Dever.

  • “Watchmen” HBO in association with White Rabbit, Paramount, Warner Bros. Television and DC (HBO)

Brilliantly penned by Damon Lindelof, this high concept sci-fi superhero show refashions the famed DC Comics series to tell a story about racism, policing, fear, and more.

  • “When They See Us” Participant Media, Tribeca Productions, Harpo Films, Array Filmworks for Netflix (Netflix)

Devastating and commanding, the powerful miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five case and the lives it ruined, offers riveting work from a strong ensemble cast.

2019 Peabody Awards

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The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors announced the 2019 award winners in the Entertainment and Children’s & Youth categories on April 18.

Two genre programs were among them, The Good Place (Entertainment) and Steven Universe (Children’s & Youth). Click the link for the complete list at Variety.

A Peabody nominee last year, Michael Schur’s fantasy-comedy about the afterlife keeps refusing to follow the formulas of broadcast network sitcoms, constantly renegotiating its format as our favorite contemporary morality play. The energies of Kristin Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, and D’Arcy Carden, in particular, keep the show moving with virtuosity in every unexpected laboratory from the Good Place to the Bad Place, the afterlife to the Medium Place, and of course, to Earth.

On its surface, Rebecca Sugar’s animated series develops a complex mythology centering around the Crystal Gems—“polymorphic sentient rocks” who protect young Steven and his human friends from cosmic threats. But in this earnest fantasy epic and superhero saga, empathy is perhaps the most important superpower, something our real-world human society needs now more than ever.

The winners will be celebrated at an event in New York on May 18.

2019 Peabody Awards Nominations

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The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors have announced the 60 nominees for its 2019 awards.

Over the next several weeks, 30 winners from among these nominees will be announced by category: Documentary on April 16; Entertainment/Children’s & Youth on April 18; and News/Radio/Web/Public Service programming on April 23. Last month, the board of jurors named Rita Moreno as this year’s Peabody Career Achievement Award presented by Mercedes-Benz.

The winners will be celebrated at an event in New York on May 18.

The complete list of nominees is here. Those of genre interest include Hilda, Steven Universe, and The Good Place.

CHILDREN’S & YOUTH

  • “Hilda” Silvergate Media for Netflix (Netflix)
  • “Steven Universe” Cartoon Network Studios (Cartoon Network)

DOCUMENTARIES

  • “A Dangerous Son” HBO Documentary Films and Moxie Firecracker Films (HBO)
  • “Blue Planet II” BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, co-produced with BBC AMERICA, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9 in partnership with The Open University (BBC AMERICA)
  • “Brides & Brothels: The Rohingya Trade” 101 East (Al Jazeera English)
  • “I Am Evidence” HBO Documentary Films and Mighty Entertainment in association with Fixit Productions and Artemis Rising Foundation (HBO)
  • “Independent Lens: Dolores” A Carlos Santana Production, in association with 5 Stick Films, and THE DOLORES HUERTA FILM PROJECT, LLC (PBS)
  • “Independent Lens: I Am Not Your Negro” A co-production of Velvet Film Inc., Velvet Film S.A.S., Artémis Productions, Close Up Films, ARTE France, RTS, RTBF, Shelter Prod and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) presented in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (PBS)
  • “Independent Lens: The Judge” A co-production of Three Judges LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (PBS)
  • “Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart” Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project, LLC in co-production with Independent Television Service and Black Public Media in association with The Film Posse, Chiz Schultz Inc. and American Masters Pictures (PBS/WNET/TV)
  • “Minding the Gap” Hulu presents in association with Kartemquin, American Documentary | POV and ITVS (Hulu)
  • “POV: QUEST: A Portrait of an American Family” Quest Fury Sound LLC, Vespertine Film and Media Productions Inc., American Documentary | POV, ITVS (PBS)
  • “POV: The Apology” National Film Board of Canada, American Documentary | POV (PBS)
  • “POV: Survivors” WeOwnTV, American Documentary | POV, ITVS (PBS)
  • “POV: Whose Streets?” Whose Streets? LLC, American Documentary | POV (PBS)
  • “Shirkers” A Netflix Documentary in association with Cinereach (Netflix)
  • “The Bleeding Edge” A Netflix Original Documentary in association with Shark Island Institute (Netflix)
  • “The Facebook Dilemma” FRONTLINE (PBS)
  • “The Jazz Ambassadors” Thirteen Productions LLC, Antelope South Ltd., Normal Life Pictures, in association with the BBC and ZDF in collaboration with Arte (PBS)
  • “The Rape of Recy Taylor” Augusta Films, in co-production with Transform Films Inc., in association with Artemis Rising and Matador Content (Starz)

ENTERTAINMENT

  • “Atypical” Sony Pictures Television for Netflix (Netflix)
  • “Barry” HBO Entertainment in association with Alec Berg and Hanarply (HBO)
  • “Hannah Gadsby: Nanette” Netflix (Netflix)
  • “Homecoming” Universal Cable Productions LLC and Amazon Studios (Amazon Prime Video)
  • “Killing Eve” Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC AMERICA (BBC AMERICA)
  • “My Brilliant Friend” HBO Entertainment in association with RAI FICTION, TIMVISION and Wildside, Fandango, and Umedia (HBO)
  • “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” Netflix (Netflix)
  • “Pose” Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions (FX Networks)
  • “Random Acts of Flyness” HBO Entertainment in association with A24 and MVMT (HBO)
  • “The Americans” Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions (FX Networks)
  • “The Chi” SHOWTIME Presents, Fox 21 Television Studios, Kapital Entertainment, Verse, Freedom Road Productions, Hillman Grad Productions, Elwood Reid Inc. (Showtime)
  • “The End of the F***ing World” Clerkenwell Films/Dominic Buchanan Productions for Channel 4 Television and Netflix (Netflix)
  • “The Good Place” Universal Television, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment (NBC)
  • “This Close” Killer Films and Super Deluxe (SundanceNow)

NEWS

  • “Anatomy of a Killing” BBC Africa Eye (BBC)
  • “Aquí y Ahora: The Faces of the Immigration Crisis” Univision Network (Univision Network)
  • “CBS News Special: 39 Days” CBS News (CBS)
  • “Back of the Class” KING Television (NBC affiliate/KING)
  • “Cambridge Analytica” ITN for Channel 4 News (Channel 4 News)
  • “Inside Yemen” PBS NewsHour (PBS)
  • “NewsChannel 5 Investigates: Toxic School Water” WTVF-TV (WTVF-TV)
  • “Nima Elbagir: Human Rights Reporting” CNN (CNN)
  • “On the Fire Line” PBS NewsHour (PBS)
  • “Separated: Children at the Border” FRONTLINE (PBS)
  • “Spartan Silence: Crisis at Michigan State” E:60, OTL, ESPNW, Sportscenter (ESPN)
  • “The Plastic Problem” PBS NewsHour (PBS)
  • “$2 Tests: Bad Arrests” WAGA-TV FOX 5 Atlanta (WAGA-TV)

PUBLIC SERVICE

  • “Student/Trafficked” R.AGE (Star Media Group)

WEB

  • “Zero Tolerance” ProPublica

RADIO/PODCASTS

  • “Bag Man” MSNBC (MSNBC)
  • “Believed” Michigan Radio (NPR)
  • “Buried Truths” WABE (WABE)
  • “Caliphate” The New York Times (The New York Times)
  • “Ear Hustle”PRX’s Radiotopia (PRX’s Radiotopia)
  • “In The Dark (season 2)” APM Reports (Podcast)
  • “Kept Out” Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, PRX, PBS Newshour, and the Associated Press (Public radio stations nationwide)
  • “Monumental Lies” Type Investigations and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX (Public radio stations nationwide)
  • “My World Was Burning: The North Bay Fires and What Went Wrong” KQED and Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX (Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX)
  • “This American Life Episode #657: The Runaways” This American Life and ProPublica Inc. (Public Radio Stations, podcast)
  • “The Daily” The New York Times (The New York Times)

2018 Peabody Awards

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The Peabody Awards board of jurors announced the nine entertainment and children/youth programming winners for 2018 on April 19. See the full list at the link.

Here are the winners of genre interest:

  • Child and Youth Programming

A Series of Unfortunate Events
Netflix (Netflix)

  • Entertainment

The Handmaid’s Tale
Hulu, MGM, White Oak Pictures, The Littlefield Company, Daniel Wilson Productions (Hulu)

Also, the Institutional Award was given to The Fred Rogers Company to recognize the continued legacy of the company’s founder and creator of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood which premiered 50 years ago. The show itself won a Peabody Award in 1968, and another was presented to Rogers in 1992.

News/radio/public service programming winners remain to be named on April 24.

2018 Peabody Award Nominees

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The Peabody Awards board of jurors has selected the 60 nominees for the “most compelling and empowering stories released in electronic media” last year. See the full list at the link.

The field will be narrowed to 30 winners, says The Hollywood Reporter, to be revealed by category starting April 17 with the documentary winners on April 17, entertainment/children’s and youth on April 19, and news/radio/public service programming on April 24. In addition, the inaugural Peabody Career Achievement Award presented by Mercedes-Benz will be announced April 12.

Jurors selected the finalists out of 1,200 entries across TV, radio/podcasts and the web.

Here are the nominees of genre interest:

  • Child and Youth Programming

A Series of Unfortunate Events 
Netflix (Netflix)

  • Entertainment

Legion
FX Productions, Marvel Television (FX Networks)

Star Trek: Discovery
CBS Television Studios (CBS All Access)

The Good Place
Universal Television, Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment (NBC)

The Handmaid’s Tale
Hulu, MGM, White Oak Pictures, The Littlefield Company, Daniel Wilson Productions (Hulu)