From documentaries about war in Ukraine and Gaza to the sweetness of “Bluey” to the earthiness of “Somebody Somewhere” and “Reservation Dogs” to the Mel Brooks canon, the 84th annual Peabody Awards ceremony on Sunday saluted an array of standout TV programs, movies, documentaries, podcasts, video games and more.
The respected awards, adminstered by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications, were held at the Beverly Wilshire hotel, marking the first time the Peabodys were handed out on the West Coast after decades in New York.
“Finally, Los Angeles gets an awards show,” host Kumail Nanjiani quipped at the start of the three hour-plus ceremony.
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The high volume of conflict in the world and in the U.S. — from school shootings to hate crimes to the spike in political extremism — was reflected in the programs selected for this year’s honors and in the comments on stage from winners. A number of documentarians, producers and filmmakers sounded the alarm about the dangers of misinformation and deepfakes seeping into the digital historical record.
“It’s not only the people who are getting killed in war — it’s the truth,” said Mstyslav Chernov, director of “20 Hours in Mariupol,” which won the Oscar for feature documentary in March and was also recognized with a Peabody. “I wish all my fellow documentary filmmakers who are out there strength and energy to fight for truth because that’s the fight that’s waiting for us.”
Phil Williams, a news anchor at NBCUniversal-owned WTVF-TV Nashville, echoed Chernov’s sentiment, urging the crowd to remember that local broadcast journalists are in a daily fight to establish the facts of any given situation. “Local journalists are fighting for truth in their own communities — we need you all now more than ever,” Williams said while accepting the Peabody for “Hate Comes to Main Street,” an expose of the troubled past of far-right local candidate Gabrielle Hanson.
Another subject referenced more than once from the stage was the upheaval in the industry caused by the digital transition and now the onset of the AI-era. Ron Nyswaner, veteran screenwriter and showrunner, spoke for many in Hollywood by expressing fears about the future of the type of filmmaking and content creation celebrated by the Peabodys. He was honored for the Paramount+ Showtime period drama “Fellow Travelers,” a study of the notorious Lavender Scare that destroyed the lives of thousands of LGBTQ federal employees in the 1950s.
“Art is about making people think and feel,” Nyswaner said. “I hope that we keep telling artists to be more provocative and ambitious and don’t serve some algorithim that doesn’t really care if we move people to think or feel.”
The precarious state of democracy was also addressed. Moses Bwayo, director of “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” cited his home country’s example as a sign of the dangers of complacency about political systems. Uganda has worked for more than 60 years since its 1962 independence to establish a true democratic political system, as demonstrated by his documentary about the struggles of the pop star and populist politician.
“We need to protect our democracies,” Bwayo said. “Protect your democracies. Protect that system.”
There were lighter moments during the marathon presentation of 37 awards. Peabody jurists saw fit to celebrate the popular Australian cartoon series “Bluey,” about a family of dogs. Melanie Zanetti, who provides the voice of Mum, was on hand to accept the award. She got a big laugh when she ended her short string of thank-yous with the Aussie slang that has become a staple of the series: “Wackadoo.”
With her win for the FX comedy “The Bear,” Abby Elliott continued a family tradition begun by her late grandfather Bob Elliott, one half of radio comedy duo Bob and Ray. “My grandfather won this award in 1951, and it feels very special,” Elliott told Variety on the red carpet. Of continuing his legacy of creating art that makes change, she added: “This is why we get into the business. It’s the purpose of it and it’s thrilling.”
Mel Brooks, the 97-year-old seminal figure in comedy, was feted with the Career Achievement Award for his long run in standup, stage, TV, film and Broadway. No less a legend than Billy Crystal was on hand to do the honors for the man he called “my friend, my mentor and my honorary uncle.”
Brooks beamed and basked in a long standing ovation. Despite his advancing years he was relatively spry on stage as he turned on the charm for the audience. “Humility is not part of my vocabulary,” Brooks joked. He closed with a vow: “I promise the Geoge Foster Peabody people — I will not sell this.”
Quinta Brunson, creator, showrunner and star of “Abbott Elementary,” was recognized with the Trailblazer Award, presented by multihyphenate Donald Glover. Glover joked about having been asked to give Brunson numerous awards in recent years, thanks to her impact. “She uses comedy to highlight the real and everyday struggles of underfunded public schools,” he said.
Brunson explained that another part of her motivation to create “Abbott Elementary,” which revolves around teachers at at Philadelphia public school, was to find a show that she could watch with her mother and her young niece. Praise from organizations such as the Peabody Awards is “a dream come true. It makes me believe even harder in the work I’ve been able to do,” Brunson said.
The night ended with the familiar sounds of the stirring “Star Trek” theme as the venerable sci-fi franchise created by the late Gene Roddenberry was recognized with the Institutional Award.
J.J. Abrams, the super-producer who revived “Star Trek’s” box office fortunes in 2009, hailed the show’s legacy of “storytelling that projects the best of humanity far into the future.” Abrams handed the award to Alex Kurtzman, the chief content officer of the “Star Trek” universe under the Paramount umbrella. Joining Kurtzman on stage were more than two dozen members of the franchise’s cast over the years.
“It’s a barbecue with your weirdest friends,” joked producer Jenny Lumet on the red carpet, describing the evening’s multigenerational reunion.
Added Kurtzman: “It’s so amazing to see how they share stories and what experiences were similar no matter what time frame it was made in. Once you’re in ‘Star Trek,’ it’s with you forever. That’s a complicated and wonderful legacy to carry around, and watching the way people carry it is very heartening.”
In his remarks, Kurtzman echoed the spirit of the night. He emphasized that “Star Trek” has long prospered with its consistent vision of “hope that our better angels will lead us across the frontiers of space and ourselves with modesty, dignity and respect” and the conviction that “we are all made of the same stardust.”
Here is a full list of 2024 George Foster Peabody Award winners:
ENTERTAINMENT
“The Bear” (FX) FX Productions
“Dead Ringers” (Prime Video) Amazon MGM Studios, Annapurna Television
“Fellow Travelers” (Showtime) Showtime Presents a Fremantle and Showtime Studios Production
“Jury Duty” (Amazon Freevee) Amazon MGM Studios, Picrow, The District, Piece of Work Entertainment
“The Last of Us” (HBO | Max) 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) HBO in association with Peyance Productions and Avalon Television
“Reality” (HBO | Max) 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) FX Productions
“Somebody Somewhere” (HBO | Max) HBO in association with Duplass Brothers Productions and The Mighty Mint
ARTS
“Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters” (World Channel and APT) Black Public Media and World Channel
“Judy Blume Forever” (Prime Video) Amazon MGM Studios, Imagine Documentaries
CHILDREN’S/YOUTH
“Bluey” (Disney+) Ludo Studio, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, BBC Studios
DOCUMENTARY
“20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS) Frontline/PBS, The Associated Press
“All That Breathes” (HBO | Max) HBO Documentary Films presents in association with Submarine Deluxe and Sideshow; a Kiterabbit Films and Rise Films production in collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (HBO | Max) HBO Documentary Films presents a Participant and Neon presentation
“Bobi Wine: The People’s President” (National Geographic) Southern Films / Ventureland / National Geographic Documentary Films
“POV: While We Watched” (PBS) Britdoc Films, American Documentary | POV
“The Stroll” (HBO | Max) HBO Documentary Films
INTERACTIVE & IMMERSIVE
“The Hidden History of Racism in New York City” (Instagram) Gen Z Historian, Urbanist Live
“Pentiment” (Xbox, PC, PlayStation 4|5, and Nintendo Switch) Obsidian Entertainment
“We Are OFK” (PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Steam) OFK
“You Destroy. We Create | The war on Ukraine’s culture” (Meta Quest) NowHere Media
NEWS
“Against All Enemies” (NBC 5 / KXAS-TV Dallas-Fort Worth) NBC 5 / KXAS-TV Dallas-Fort Worth
“Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court” (PBS) Frontline/PBS
“Hate Comes to Main Street” (WTVF-TV, NewsChannel 5) WTVF-TV, NewsChannel 5
“It’s Bisan from Gaza and I’m Still Alive” (Al Jazeera Media Network) AJ+
“War in the Holy Land” (PBS NewsHour) PBS NewsHour, PBS News
PUBLIC SERVICE
“America and the Taliban” (PBS) Frontline/PBS
“The Post Roe Baby Boom: Inside Mississippi’s Maternal Health Crisis” (USA Today streaming channels) USA Today and The Tennessean
RADIO/PODCAST
“The Big Dig” (GBH-News) GBH-News and PRX
“The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop” (The Washington Post) The Washington Post
“Post Reports: Surviving to graduation” (The Washington Post) The Washington Post
“The Retrievals” (Serial Productions and The New York Times) Serial Productions and The New York Times
“You Didn’t See Nothin” (Invisible Institute and USG Audio) Invisible Institute and USG Audio
Angelique Jackson contributed to this report.