Peabody Awards: Watchmen, Unbelievable, When They See Us among winners

The prestigious Peabody Awards winners were announced this week, highlighting television programming that has had a significant impact on the cultural landscape.

While some award shows have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Peabody Awards announced its winners for this year on June 10. Largely considered a precursor to the Emmys, the Peabody Awards recognize the most culturally impactful television shows of each year. The categories range from scripted television series to podcasts, many of which have been high-profile projects led by diverse voices. Past Peabody winners include Orange Is the New Black, Jane the Virgin, Orphan Black, Jessica Jones, Transparent, Veep, and Insecure.

Peabody executive director Jeffrey P. Jones said in a statement:

"“This year’s winners are a vibrant collective of inspiring, innovative, and powerful stories. True to the spirit and legacy of Peabody, our winners are also distinguished by the presence and resilience of many emerging and diverse voices.”"

This year’s winners included a Career Achievement Award for Cicely Tyson, Institutional Awards for The Simpsons and Frontline, and recognition for new series such as Apple TV+’s Dickinson and Hulu’s Ramy. Seasoned shows such as Amazon’s Fleabag and the third season of Netflix’s Stranger Things received honors as well. Timely miniseries such as Watchmen, When They See Us, and Unbelievable also received awards for being some of the best television programming from last year.

Netflix’s When They See Us was directed by Ava DuVernay, and is based on the true-life events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case. The series explores the lives and families of the five male suspects who were falsely accused then prosecuted on charges related to the rape and assault of a woman in Central Park, New York City. The talented ensemble cast includes Jharrel Jerome, Michael K. Williams, Blair Underwood, Niecy Nash, Felicity Huffman, and Vera Farmiga.

Another Netflix miniseries based on true events,

Unbelievable

takes an unflinching look at the lives of sexual assault survivors and how the crimes are handled by the police. The series is based on the 2008-2011 Washington and Colorado serial rape cases, and draws from “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning article written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong for ProPublica. The star-studded cast includes Toni Collette, Merritt Wever,

Kaitlyn Dever

, Elizabeth Marvel, Bridget Everett, and Danielle Macdonald. Famed journalist Katie Couric served as an executive producer.

HBO’s Watchmen was the revival none of us saw coming, but it managed to successfully spin a tale that interweaves the world of superheroes with the United States’ long-standing racial tension. While it is technically a sequel to the 1987 DC Comics series Watchmen, taking place some thirty-four years after the end of the series, the show does just fine in building it’s own mythology without relying too much on the source material. The powerhouse cast includes Regina King, Don Johnson, Louis Gossett Jr., Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Here are this year’s 30 Peabody award winners:

"EntertainmentChernobyl (HBO)David Makes Man (OWN)Dickinson (Apple TV+)Fleabag (Amazon)Ramy (Hulu)Stranger Things (Netflix)Succession (HBO)Unbelievable (Netflix)Watchmen (HBO)When They See Us (Netflix)DocumentariesApollo 11 (CNN)For Sama (PBS)Independent Lens: Hale County This Morning, This Evening (PBS)POV: Inventing Tomorrow (PBS)POV: Midnight Traveler (PBS)POV: The Distant Barking of Dogs (PBS)POV: The Silence of Others (PBS)Surviving R. Kelly (Lifetime)The Edge of Democracy (Netflix)True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality (HBO)Podcast/RadioDolly Parton’s AmericaHave you Heard George’s Podcast?In the Dark: The Path HomeThreshold: The RefugeNews“A Different Kind of Force: Policing Mental Illness” (NBC)“American Betrayal” (NBC)“Long Island Divided” (Newsday)“The Hidden Workforce: Undocumented in America” (CNN)“Unwarranted” (WBBM-TV)Children’s & YouthMolly of Denali (PBS)"

What do you think of this year’s Peabody Award winners? Sound off in the comments below.