‘Heated Rivalry,’ ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!,’ ‘The Pitt’ Among Nominees for 2026 Peabody Awards

The Peabody Awards Board announced on March 18, 2026, that the television programs 'Heated Rivalry,' 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!,' and 'The Pitt' are among the nominees for the 86th annual Peabody Awards, a prestigious honor recognizing excellence and public service in electronic media. The nominations highlight the board's ongoing mission to celebrate the most impactful and socially significant storytelling across television and streaming platforms, with winners to be announced at a ceremony later this year. The nomination list reveals a diverse and ambitious slate of programming from the past year. Alongside the headline nominees, other notable shows contending for a Peabody include the coming-of-age drama 'Adolescence,' the acclaimed 'Star Wars' series 'Andor,' the historical drama 'Death by Lightning,' the intimate documentary series 'Dying for Sex,' the existential comedy 'Forever,' the biographical miniseries 'Mussolini: Son of the Century,' the political thriller 'Pluribus,' and the innovative meta-comedy 'The Rehearsal.' This broad spectrum underscores the award's commitment to honoring narrative power across genres, from late-night comedy and sci-fi to hard-hitting documentaries and historical fiction. Established in 1940, the Peabody Awards are among the most respected honors in broadcasting and digital media, often seen as a benchmark for quality that prioritizes substantive storytelling over commercial success. The inclusion of a mainstream late-night show like 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' alongside genre-bending series like 'The Rehearsal' and internationally-focused productions like 'Mussolini: Son of the Century' demonstrates the jury's wide-ranging criteria, which assess a program's ability to use the medium of television to engage with important ideas, culture, and societal issues. The final selections will be made by a unanimous decision of a board of jurors comprising media scholars, critics, and industry professionals.