This year’s Peabody winners were announced today, and usually that means I can heave a great sigh of relief. At least the Peabodys always get it right, I usually think. At least I know someone, somewhere is giving an award to BSG, or FNL, or the little-seen but superb Nimrod Nation.
Except not this year. This year, Entourage won. Peabody Awards, why have you forsaken me?
The highly prestigious awards, which "recognize excellence and meritorious work," went to some completely deserving programming, too: This American Life’s "The Giant Pool of Money" episode, ABC’s docuseries Hopkins, Breaking Bad, and The Onion News Network are all deeply awesome and deserve all kinds of praise. But Entourage? Entourage? We’re putting that show in a league with previous winners like The Sopranos, The West Wing, The Daily Show, The Office (both the UK and US versions), The Wire, Six Feet Under, South Park, House, The Shield, Battlestar Galactica, Ugly Betty, Good Eats, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, Dexter, Man Men, and The Colbert Report? On its best days, Entourage is a fun, fluffy diversion, whose cheeky cynicism tempers its lifestyle-fantasy elements. But more often, I find Entourage to be somewhat cliche-ridden, marginally acted, emotionally empty, and predictable.
Blerg, this makes me crazy. I’d be less bugged by this if the Emmys were more consistently credible. But year after year, the Peabodys have been the awards we can count on to honor the truly best-of-the-best shows, like The Wire or Battlestar Galactica.
What do you think, PopWatchers? Should I channel my irrational anger towards the fact that just-okay HBO documentaries also cleaned up? Or just be glad that SNL’s political sketches and Lost also won?
Comments (1-15) of 23 Add your comment
30 Rock already has a Peabody…
Well, I am happy that Lost won same with SNL. Entourage is an entertaining show, but not totally television’s best. Too be honest, I think Curb Your Enthusiasm, Flight of the Conchords and Eastbound & Down are a lot funnier than Entourage is. But then again, Entourage isn’t just a flat out comedy, it’s more of a satirical look at Hollywood.
But those other shows are definitely better though.
I hate Entourage. More typically masturbatory Hollywood b.s. The only movie/tv show about Hollywood I’ve ever liked is Tropic Thunder.
I felt like Michael Bluth about Ann when I heard Entourage won. (“Her?”) “Entourage”, a Peabody, really? I mean I like the show, but watching to see if Turtle can hook up with Jamie Lynn Sigler isn’t exactly high art, but okay. Whatever. Oh well.
Ugh, I hate this. It’s fine to like it for the fluff that it is. But great TV? Not so much.
A lot of you just don’t dig too deeply into the show, the show is really about a life style and how ridiculous all of this really is, but it’s framed like a comedy so that’s all you look at. It’s so much more than that.
By the way, Tim, you weren’t paying attention to the fact that 30Rock was listed as a past winner, not a showing deserving to win in the future. (Which I find 30Rock to be overrated, but that’s my opinion. Maybe because every time I see Tracy Morgan he’s majorly overacting. One of those people like Martin Lawrence who just didn’t deserve to make it.)
I LOVE ENTOURAGE…..HIP, HIP HOORAY!
Jason, thank you for the correction, I was blinded by the continual slamming of Tina Fey on these comments posts. I stand corrected!
‘Entourage’ has been uneven for years. They should’ve given it to ‘How I Met Your Mother’.
Once again the HBO arrogance has now steeped into the Peabodys. No way that show would receive this if it aired on any other net. Just like it got that undeserving Emmy Nomination last year when Pushing Daisies didn’t.
yes, you should shut up. battlestar galactica, the wire, and sopranos were all insanely boring, overrated shows. entourage is much more entertaining, and is very well acted and written. mad men sucks, and so does the amazingly unfunny 30 rock.
I agree that Entourage is at best a great piece of candy and probably undeserving of serious accolades (full disclosure: I love this show) but however serious and thoughtful a critic you may be, you write a blog titled ‘Pop Watch’ for Entertainment Weekly. How high a horse are you trying to ride?
Entourage jumped the shark a while ago, certainly at the start of this season. I don’t know why it has been renewed. If this season had never been made, it would have suggested a strong poker hand on the part of the boys — leaving on top.
When I saw that Entourage had won, all I could do was roll my eyes.
joe i would hate to hang out with you in real life.