Peabody Awards announce 27 nominees for the Arts, Children’s/Youth, Entertainment, and Interactive & Immersive categories

The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors has announced the 27 nominees for the Arts, Children’s/Youth, Entertainment, Interactive & Immersive categories. The nominees represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2023. The nominees were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,100 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service, and multimedia programming.

Peabody is based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be announced on Thursday, May 9 and then celebrated on Sunday, June 9 at a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. This will be Peabody’s first in-person ceremony since 2019, as well as the first time ever in its history that the Awards will take place in Los Angeles. The awards ceremony will be produced by Bob Bain Productions. The 84th annual Peabody Awards are sponsored by Delta, and Variety will serve as the media partner for the awards ceremony.

“Whether a hilarious comedy, an engaging interactive experience, or a heartwarming children’s show, Peabody is dedicated to honoring the most compelling stories across the media landscape,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Each of the 68 nominees this year deserves to be recognized for telling unique stories that leave a profound impact in capturing our imaginations.”

The nominees for the 84th annual Peabody’s encompass a wide range of pressing issues and universal themes, including women’s health, the justice system, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and both blood and found family. This year was a particularly impressive year for documentaries (nominees were previously announced on April 23rd) and entertainment, with 14 nominations and 13 nominations respectively in the two categories.

“We look forward to announcing the winners and celebrating their extraordinary achievements together in Los Angeles,” added Jones.

Of the 68 total nominations, PBS received the most (11), followed by HBO / Max (8), Netflix (4), The Washington Post and Amazon MGM Studios (3 each), and FX and Meta (2 each).

The nominees for the Documentary, News, Public Service, and Radio/Podcast categories were previously announced on April 23.

Today’s Peabody Award nominees, listed by category and in alphabetical order (network/platform in parentheses) are:

ARTS

“Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters” (World Channel and APT)

Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz present the history and legacy of choreographer-dancer-director-activist Bill T. Jones’ ballet “D-Man in the Waters,” which emerged as AIDS became a public health crisis. The 1989 ballet manifested the fear, anger, grief, and hope for salvation that Jones and his colleagues experienced as AIDS took the life of his co-founder and partner Arnie Zane, as well as other troupe members.

Black Public Media and World Channel

“Judy Blume Forever” (Prime Video)

Young adult author Judy Blume has influenced generations of readers. This documentary examines her impact on pop culture as well as the controversies that have erupted over her honesty about puberty and sex, which are newly relevant in an age of increasing book bans across the country.

Amazon MGM Studios, Imagine Documentaries

“Little Richard: I Am Everything” (CNN Films, MAX and Magnolia Pictures)

Little Richard: I Am Everything depicts the Black, queer origins of rock ‘n’ roll—and its usurpation by white artists–that started with Richard Penniman, aka Little Richard. Through archival and performance footage, as well as interviews, the documentary tells the story of Little Richard’s life, a story he couldn’t completely reveal himself.

CNN Films, MAX and Magnolia Pictures

CHILDREN’S/YOUTH

“Bluey” (Disney+)

Bluey, an energetic and imaginative blue heeler puppy, explores the world with her sister Bingo, parents, and friends in this Australian cartoon that has become a worldwide sensation with kids and parents alike.

Ludo Studio, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Studios

“Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” (Disney Channel)

This animated Disney Channel series, based on characters from Marvel Comics, follows Lunella Lafayette, a 13-year-old genius living with her family on the Lower East Side of New York City, and her friend Devil Dinosaur, a red Tyrannosaurus she meets after activating a portal.

Flying Bark Productions / Disney Television Animation

“Summer Camp Island” (Cartoon Network)

Created by Julia Pott for Cartoon Network, Summer Camp Island centers on best friends Oscar (an elephant) and Hedgehog (a hedgehog) at a magical summer camp where the counselors are popular girl witches, horses turn into unicorns, sharks talk, cabins are haunted, and Post-It Notes lead to other dimensions.

Cartoon Network Studios

ENTERTAINMENT

“The Bear” (FX)

In this dramedy meditation on the work required to transform, to move on, to achieve a dream, highly trained young chefs Carmen (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) lead the charge to turn Carmen’s family’s chaotic Italian beef sandwich shop into a bright light of the Chicago food scene.

FX Productions

“Blue Eye Samurai” (Netflix)

Netflix’s innovative animated series tells of a young warrior driven by revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, cutting a bloody path toward her destiny, with voices by Maya Erskine, Brenda Song, Kenneth Branagh, and others.

A Netflix Series / 3 Arts Entertainment and Blue Spirit Productions

“Dead Ringers” (Prime Video)

Amazon’s modern take on David Cronenberg’s 1988 thriller features Rachel Weisz in the dual lead role of Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twin gynecologists unbothered by committing malpractice toward the eventual end of establishing their own birthing center, allowing for commentary on the abysmal state of health care for women in the U.S.

Amazon MGM Studios, Annapurna Television

“The Fall of the House of Usher” (Netflix)

Mike Flanagan’s gothic horror miniseries for Netflix is loosely based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, reimagining them to recount the deaths of the six scions of the fictional Usher family, the powerful and corrupt owners of a modern pharmaceutical company.

Intrepid Pictures

“Fellow Travelers” (Showtime)

Based on the Thomas Mallon novel, this miniseries stars Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey as a state department official and a congressional staffer who fall in love during the McCarthy Era, tracing their secret romance, originally thwarted by the “Lavender Scare,” through several decades.

SHOWTIME Presents a Fremantle and Showtime Studios Production

“Jury Duty” (Amazon Freevee)

This inventive reality-comedy hybrid goes inside an American jury by following one particular juror, who happens to be the only “real” person in the series. The cast surrounding him is made up of improvisational actors who attempt to push him to his brink, but he always comes out the good guy, demonstrating the positive side of “reality” television as well as good citizens.

Amazon MGM Studios, Picrow, The District, Piece of Work Entertainment

“The Last of Us” (HBO | Max)

This post-apocalyptic drama created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO, is a faithful video game adaptation set 20 years into a pandemic caused by a fungal infection that turns its victims into zombie-like creatures. The story follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler who must safely transport Ellie (Bella Ramsey), an immune girl, across the collapsed United States.

HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War” (HBO | Max)

In this clear-eyed episode of his Peabody-winning satirical news show, Oliver discusses the ongoing war, establishing that “any conversation around this has to begin with empathy.”

HBO in association with Peyance Productions and Avalon Television

“Lupin” (Netflix)

This French mystery thriller series is inspired by the adventures of Arsene Lupin, who was created by French author Maurice Leblanc in 1907. But in this modern version, gentleman thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy), in the mold of Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.

Gaumont Television

“Poker Face” (Peacock)

Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. When she hits the road in her Plymouth Barracuda, every stop brings a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but investigate and solve, in the comfort-watch tradition of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote.

T-Street, MRC Television, Animal Pictures

“Reality” (HBO | Max)

This film, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Tina Satter, is based on the FBI interrogation transcript of U.S. Air Force veteran Reality Winner, who leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 election to the media.

HBO Films presents a Seaview and 2 Sq Ft production in association with Burn These Words, In The Cut Productions, Fit Via Vi, Cinereach, Tanbark Pictures

“Reservation Dogs” (FX)

Reservation Dogs’ groundbreaking three-season run comes to an end, exploring the backstories of reservation elders as the four teen characters—Elora (Devery Jacobs), Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Cheese (Lane Factor), and Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis)—give up on their California dreams and consider their futures on and off the reservation.

FX Productions

“Somebody Somewhere” (HBO | Max)

The touching small-town dramedy’s second season soars to new (and wrenching) heights as the grieving and lost Sam (Bridget Everett) lashes out at best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) when he finds a new love, while reconciling through the power and love of found family.

HBO in association with Duplass Brothers Productions and The Mighty Mint

INTERACTIVE & IMMERSIVE

“The Blast Effect” (The Washington Post)

The Washington Post delves into the AR-15, the weapon of choice for many mass killers, leveraging deep reporting, 3-D animation, and innovative storytelling to illustrate the devastating effect the gun actually has on the human body, something rarely seen by the general public.

The Washington Post

“Defunctland” (YouTube)

Defunctland is a YouTube channel discussing the history of extinct theme park and themed entertainment experiences, with a supplementary podcast and VR project. Through these stories, the most recent 22-episode season explores the revisionism of the past, the industrial tomorrow, dystopian futures, and the reality of today.

Kevin Perjurer

“The Hidden History of Racism in New York City” (Instagram)

The Hidden History of Racism in New York City is a six-part micro-documentary series by Kahlil Greene and Ariel Viera touring parts of New York that exist, in part, because of historical incidents of race-based violence, all the while combatting the rampant disinformation on social media that dismisses how race continues to shape our history.

Gen Z Historian, Urbanist Live

“Milwaukee Public Library” (TikTok, Instagram)

Milwaukee Public Library uses TikTok and Instagram to educate their community on what libraries offer and get young people excited about books at a time when book bans are increasing across the country. Using memes, trending music, and pop culture references, the library’s accounts highlight real library users, librarians, and library features in fresh and fun ways.

Milwaukee Public Library

“Pentiment” (Xbox, PC, PlayStation 4|5, and Nintendo Switch)

In this historical game, two artists must solve a series of mysterious murders that occur over a 30-year period in a small Bavarian town run by the local Catholic Abbey during the early years of the Protestant Reformation. The game intricately weaves period art and print styles into its visuals while delving into the region’s evolving political, economic, and spiritual landscapes.

Obsidian Entertainment

“Reimagined” (Meta)

This VR narrative is a female-led, directed, and produced anthology series that takes the audience into a new kind of storybook by showcasing lesser-known fables, mythology, and folklore in a gender-inclusive experience.

Very Cavaliere Productions, Meta Quest

“We Are OFK” (PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Steam)

We Are OFK is a virtual music project and interactive narrative that follows a group of friends who form a band, exploring conflicts of creative enterprise, including money, mental health, and loss, as well as the unique challenges of creative work in the digital age.

OFK

“You Destroy. We Create | The war on Ukraine’s culture” (Meta Quest)

In the summer of 2022, Gayatri Parameswaran and Felix Gaedtke took their 360-degree camera behind the frontlines in Ukraine to bear witness to another kind of fight: the cultural battlefield. Their resulting VR film brings audiences close to Ukrainian artists and cultural workers who are protecting, rebuilding, and creating art in a time of crisis.

NowHere Media

---

Contact: Christine Drayer, cdrayer@uga.edu