The 72nd annual Peabody Awards, granted by the the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, featured several critically acclaimed series of the past year, including HBO's "Girls," FX's "Louie," ABC Family's "Switched at Birth" and Atlanta-based TNT's "Southland."
"Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels received a rare individual Peabody for his body of work.
HBO's 'Game Change" about Sarah Palin and a mock documentary on Comedy Central hosted by D.L. Hughley also received Peabodys.
BBC's classic 'Doctor Who" and Michael Apted's incredible "Up" series going back to 1964 were both bestowed Institutional Peabodys.
The Smithsonian Channel's "MLK: The Assassination Tapes," in which rare archival footage was fused into a gripping reconstruction of the events surrounding Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1968 murder, was also given one of 39 awards.
"Our list of Peabody recipients for 2012 demonstrates the range of superb work," said Horace Newcomb, director of the Peabody Awards, in the press release. "From local to national to international, from radio to television, broadcast to cable to web, the Peabody sets the goals for every type of media production. We'll continue to do this, no matter how the world of electronic media develops."
Here are explanations provided by the panel for why some of these programs earned a Peabody:
“Southland” (TNT)
John Wells Production in association with Warner Bros Television
Shot on location in Los Angeles neighborhoods both posh and blighted, the show focuses on characters whose personalities have become more nuanced by the season. It’s a gritty, weekly ride-along, as convincing as cop drama gets.
“Switched at Birth” (ABC Family)
Prodco Inc. in association with ABC Family
What could be a reality-show premise–two families discovering their teenage daughters, one of whom is deaf, were switched at birth–is explored with honesty, imagination and humor in this superior family series.
“D.L. Hughley: The Endangered List” (Comedy Central)
Comedy Central, Five Timz Productions
In this provocative satirical documentary, the comedian goes on a crusade to get American black men the same EPA protections afforded snail darters.
“Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (HBO)
HBO
Covering 2012 stories as diverse as fan-on-fan violence, NFL painkiller abuse and the lethal hazing of a Florida A&M drum major, Gumbel’s show continued to be one of TV’s finest news magazines, period.
“Game Change” (HBO)
Playtone Productions and Everyman Pictures in association with HBO Films
A behind-the-scenes account of what happened after John McCain picked Alaska’s charismatic, combative governor to be his running mate; it’s a story worthy of Euripides and Robert Ripley.
“Louie” (FX)
Pig Newton Inc., FX Productions
Louis C.K.’s self-reflective, shape-shifting series about a single, show-biz dad is daring and endearing, scandalous and sensitive, a milestone of comedic reach and candor.
“Girls” (HBO)
Aptow Prod and I am Jenni Konner Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
Creator/star Lena Dunham’s singular, decidedly unglamorous take on sex and the single girl and the city reverberates with anxiety, angst, insight and rueful humor.
Lorne Michaels
A rare Individual Peabody goes Lorne Michaels because he’s the patron saint of satirical television comedy and, as one of his old co-conspirators would say, you’re not.
“Doctor Who” (BBC America)
The BBC Cymru Wales
Seemingly immortal, 50-years-old and still running, this engaging, imaginative sci-fi/fantasy series is awarded an Institutional Peabody for evolving with technology and the times like nothing else in the known television universe.
Michael Apted’s “Up” Series (ITV 1)
ITV Studios
Originally conceived to illustrate class immobility, the series that revisits the same group of British citizens every seven years, most recently in “56 Up,” has long since become more personal than political. Notable for its creator’s patience and its subjects’ humanity, the “Up” series receives an Institutional Peabody.
“Robin’s Journey” (ABC)
ABC News
By allowing her network to document and build a public service campaign around her battle with rare disease, Robin Roberts, “Good Morning America” co-anchor, inspired hundreds of potential bone marrow donors to register and heightened awareness of the need for even more donors.
