by Michael Schneider, Variety
“I May Destroy You,” “Small Axe,” “Ted Lasso,” “The Good Lord Bird” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” are among this year’s entertainment nominees for the Peabody Awards.
The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors on Tuesday announced this year’s nominees for entertainment, documentaries, news, podcast/radio, children’s & youth, public service and arts. A total of 60 nominees were revealed as representing “the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2020.”
PBS once again led the nominations with 12 programs, followed by Netflix with nine. HBO was next with five, and then Amazon and Showtime with three each, and Apple TV Plus and CBS with two apiece. Out of the nominees, half (in other words, 30) will be named winners and recognized during a virtual celebration in June.
A unanimous vote by the Peabody Awards Board’s 19 jurors is necessary to include on the final lists, which is how the 60 nominees are culled from over 1,300 entries.
Other Peabody entries include HBO’s “Euphoria” special; “Gentefied”; “La Llorona”; and “Unorthoddox.”
Issues addressed in this year’s nominees include COVID-19, voting rights, police violence, immigrant rights and economic justice. Given the amount of news in 2020, the Peabody Awards nominated 16 programs in that category.
“Peabody is proud to continue its tradition of recognizing diverse and emerging voices, those telling powerful stories that audiences need to engage with and hear,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Once again, our nominees offer moral clarity for how we as ethical citizens might respond.”
The Peabody Awards are based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.
“During an incredibly turbulent and difficult year, these nominees rose to the occasion and delivered compelling and empowering stories,” said Martha Nelson, chair of the Peabody Board of Jurors. “From COVID-19 coverage to poignant explorations of identity, each nominee not only told a powerful story but also made a significant impact on media programming and the cultural landscape.”
Here are this year’s Peabody Award Nominees:
ENTERTAINMENT
“Euphoria Special: Part 1: Rue ‘Trouble Don’t Last Always’” (HBO)
HBO in association with Reasonable Bunch, A24, Little Lamb, Dreamcrew, ADD Content Agency | HOT | TCDY Productions
“Gentefied” (Netflix)
Netflix
“I May Destroy You” (HBO)
HBO in association with BBC, Various Artists Limited, and FALKNA
Director of Photography: Adam Gillham
“La Llorona” (Shudder)
La Casa de Produccíon
“Never Have I Ever” (Netflix)
Universal Television, in association with 3 Arts Entertainment, Original Langster, and Kaling International
Director of Photography: Rhet Bear
“Small Axe” (Amazon Prime Video)
BBC Studios Americas, Inc. and Amazon Studios
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
Apple / Doozer Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television
“The Good Lord Bird” (Showtime)
Showtime Presents Blumhouse Television, Mark 924 Entertainment, Under the Influence Productions
Executive Producer: Padraic McKinley
Producer: O'Shea Read
Editors: Sue Blainey, ACE and Christopher Nelson, ACE
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS)
CBS Studios
“Unorthodox” (Netflix)
Studio Airlift and RealFilm for Netflix
DOCUMENTARIES
“76 Days” (virtual cinema)
76 Days LLC / MTV Documentary Films
“All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Prime Video)
Story Syndicate
“American Experience: The Vote” (PBS)
A 42nd Parallel Film Production for American Experience
“Asian Americans” (PBS)
CAAM, WETA, Flash Cuts, LLC., Tajima-Peña Productions, ITVS
“Athlete A” (Netflix)
A Netflix Original Documentary in association with Impact Partners, Artemis Rising Foundation, Meadow Fund, Dobkin Family Foundation, Chicago Media Project, Grant Me the Wisdom Productions and An Actual Films Production
“Atlanta’s Missing & Murdered: The Lost Children” (HBO)
HBO Documentary Films, Show of Force, Get Lifted Film Company and Roc Nation
“Collective” (HBO)
Alexander Nanau Production, Samsa Film HBO Europe
“Crip Camp” (Netflix)
A Higher Ground and Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk / JustFilms / Ford Foundation for Netflix
“Disclosure” (Netflix)
Disclosure Film in association with Field of Vision and Bow & Arrow Entertainment for Netflix
“Immigration Nation” (Netflix)
A Reel Peak Films Production for Netflix
“In My Blood It Runs” (PBS)
Closer Productions, American Documentary | POV
“Independent Lens: Belly of the Beast” (PBS)
Co-production of Belly of the Beast LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., Black Public Media (BPM) and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Director of Photography: Bianca Cline
“Kingdom of Silence” (Showtime)
Showtime Documentary Films presents Jigsaw Productions
“Softie” (PBS)
LBx AFRICA, American Documentary | POV, We Are Not The Machine, Eyesteel Film, Doc Society, BBC
“The Cave” (National Geographic)
A Danish Documentary Production, in Co-Production with Ma.Ja.De Hecat Studio Paris Madam Films for National Geographic Documentary Films
“The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show” (Peacock)
Big Beach
“The Speed Cubers” (Netflix)
A Netflix Original Documentary / A Saltwater/Romano Films Production in association with Wieden + Kennedy Studios
“Time” (Amazon Prime Video)
Concordia Studio, GB Feature, LLC and Amazon Studios
“Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO)
Public Square Films, Ninety Thousand Words, Maylo Films, BBC Storyville and HBO Documentary Films
PUBLIC SERVICE
“Cops and Robbers” (Netflix)
Lawrence Bender Productions
Editor: Terilyn A. Shropshire, ACE
“Facing Race” (KING)
KING 5 TV
“Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020” (Multi-cast on 46 networks and platforms)
The Entertainment Industry Foundation, XQ Institute, Springhill Entertainment, Done & Dusted
“Shaina” (Zimbabwe TV)
Quizzical Pictures, USAID
