So House won a Peabody Award today, and I feel obligated to report it, even though I don’t have much to say other than: good for them. (That sounds sarcastic, doesn’t it? I’m not being sarcastic. It’s a great thing and they should be proud. Really. OK, I’m going to stop protesting too much, because I was honestly being sincere.)
It’s a vaguely prestigious award given out under the vaguest of descriptions: “The Peabody recognizes distinguished achievement and meritorious public service by stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals.” All they had to say about House was:
An unorthodox lead character – a misanthropic diagnostician fond of saying humanity is “overrated” – and cases fit for a medical Sherlock Holmes have helped make “House” the most distinctive new doctor drama in a decade. Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions, Bad Hat Harry Productions, NBC Universal Television Studio.
I guess that’s distinguished achievement, then, and not meritorious public service. It’s the first (I think) award for the show as a whole, after writing awards for David Shore (Emmy) and Lawrence Kaplow (WGA) and acting awards for Hugh Laurie (Golden Globe, TV Critics).
But … what makes me love the Peabody people even more today is that they also honoured South Park:
Primitive animation is part of the charm of TV’s boldest, most politically incorrect satirical series. Its simple style also makes possible the show’s unmatched topicality. Comedy Central.
When I think Peabody, I think stellar news coverage, I think The West Wing. Now, I’ll think Kenny and Cartman, too.
There were other TV series winners: Battlestar Galactica, The Shield, and Boston Legal. More are in the Peabody press release and full list of winners.