‘Veep’, ‘Atlanta’, ‘Better Things’ Among Peabody Award Winners

Atlanta, Better Things, Horace and Pete, Veep and Lemonade are among this year’s Peabody Awards entertainment winners, the Peabody organization announced today. HBO, FX and Hulu each scored two wins.

The honorees are among seven winners in the awards’ entertainment category. Other entertainment winners are BBC One’s Happy Valley and The Forge/Hulu’s National Treasure. (The Peabodys added Hulu to the roster of winners after the organizations original announcement was released this morning).

The seven entertainment winners join the documentary honorees announced Tuesday. The winners in news, radio/podcast, children’s, education and public service will be revealed April 25.

With Veep and Beyoncé’s “visual album” Lemonade, HBO ties for most wins with FX (Atlanta and Better Things).

The Peabody Awards honor the most powerful, enlightening and invigorating stories in television, radio and digital media. The awards are based at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

Here is the complete roster of the entertainment winners:

Atlanta
FX Productions (FX Networks)
Donald Glover’s enchanting series on the struggles of two young black men trying to make it in Atlanta’s rap scene blends vibrant character study and rich socio-political commentary in delivering a detailed and textured exploration of a Southern city.

Better Things
FX Productions (FX Networks)
Co-created by Pamela Adlon and Louis C.K., the result of this searingly funny and beautiful show is an at-times raw examination of the vicissitudes of working motherhood, crackling with feminist verve and energy, that consistently cuts new ground.

Happy Valley
BBC One (BBC One, Netflix)
A fresh take on the British crime drama that deals boldly and unflinchingly with the darkest human behavior while keeping its heart and even a tart sense of humor. Series creator Sally Wainwright has given us perhaps the greatest female lead on television today in Catherine Cawood, played by Sarah Lancashire in a stunning performance.

Horace and Pete
Pig Newton, Inc. (louisck.net/Hulu)
A true original that melds contemporary politics and serialized storytelling with a throwback approach, Horace and Pete is a truly independent and groundbreaking demonstration of how quality television is expertly produced for the new media environment, all the while building upon decades of artistry and craft.

Lemonade
HBO Entertainment in association with Parkwood Entertainment (HBO)
Lemonade draws from the prolific literary, musical, cinematic, and aesthetic sensibilities of black cultural producers to create a rich tapestry of poetic innovation. The audacity of its reach and fierceness of its vision challenges our cultural imagination, while crafting a stunning and sublime masterpiece about the lives of women of color and the bonds of friendship seldom seen or heard in American popular culture.

National Treasure
The Forge (Channel 4/Hulu)
A dark and timely examination of sexual abuse at the hands of privileged celebrity, National Treasure is an engrossing series that explores the loyalty of family and friends during crisis, the impact of sexual abuse on victims, and the legal system itself. As in real life, there’s no neat ending in this dramatic rendering of one man’s choices and the collateral damage he creates.

VEEP
HBO Entertainment (HBO)
A rare show blessed with a perfectly cast ensemble, including the comedic genius of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep is a workplace comedy that not only captures the zeitgeist of the current bizarre political moment but transcends its own form to deliver a sobering message, with sharp dialogue, street savvy—and lots of laughs.