Peabody Award Winners Include 'The Handmaid's Tale,' 'SNL,' 'American Vandal'
The Peabody Awards have revealed their annual selections for the best in entertainment media, highlighting a diverse array of programming that includes a silly Netflix satire, a dystopian drama, and lots and lots of political and social commentary.
It should come as no surprise that one of the best-reviewed shows in years, The Handmaid's Tale," made the list. The Hulu series's freshman season was hailed by Peabody jurors as "captivating, harrowing, and crackling with contemporary political relevance."
Also a deserving choice is a bit of a niche submission, "Saturday Night Live: Political Satire 2017," which focuses solely on the show's political sketches from the past year. According to Peabody jurors, the long-running sketch series -- led by the Emmy-winning trio of cast member Kate McKinnon and recurring guest stars Alec Baldwin and Melissa McCarthy -- "produced performances that helped the American public come to terms with an unprecedented presidential administration and its daily political absurdities."
A seemingly out-of-left-field selection, Netflix comedy "American Vandal" (yes, the show about male genitalia graffiti), also made the cut, standing out from the pack thanks to its "surprisingly insightful rumination on contemporary life." The show is a favorite of viewers and critics alike, and it's cool to see such an absurd concept get such a prestigious shout-out.
Here's the full list of this year's entertainment Peabody honorees:
"A Series of Unfortunate Events"
"American Vandal"
"Better Call Saul"
"Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King"
"Insecure"
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"
"Saturday Night Live: Political Satire 2017"
"The Handmaid's Tale"
"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
The Peabody Awards will be handed out at a ceremony on May 19, hosted by one of this year's Peabody winners, "Daily Show" correspondent Hasan Minhaj.
[via: Peabody Awards]