The Television Academy has abruptly canceled its planned May 31 Television Academy Honors.
“After discussions with the WGA and out of deference to those impacted by the ongoing labor dispute, the Television Academy is canceling next week’s planned Television Academy Honors reception,” a TV Academy spokesperson said in a statement. “We appreciate everyone’s understanding. The Academy would like to congratulate this year’s Honors recipients and thank them on behalf of the entire industry for their groundbreaking and inspiring work.”
The 16th annual program would have recognized six television programs and their producers who have harnessed storytelling to fuel social change. The honorees would have included two documentary specials, one documentary/nonfiction series, two scripted series and one reality series from 2022.
A number of Hollywood events have been canceled or postponed since the start of the writers strike, including Nicole Kidman’s AFI Life Achievement Award
Each year, the Television Academy Honors celebrates programs that raise awareness about complex issues facing society. This year’s honorees produced programs that addressed neurodiversity; civil rights; LGBTQ+ rights; equal rights for women; the experience of immigrants and refugees; and racism, xenophobia and antisemitism.
Bryan Leder, Governor for the Professional Representatives Peer Group, chaired this year’s Television Academy Honors selection committee with Kim Taylor-Coleman, C.S.A., Governor for the Casting Directors Peer Group, serving as vice chair.
The programs that were scheduled to be honored:
37 Words (ESPN Films, Industrial Media and Trilogy Films): The full story of Title IX—the hard-fought battle to push for equal rights in education and athletics, the decades-spanning effort to nullify its impact, and the rippling impacts of the landmark civil rights law that continue to resonate today. This four-part documentary charts the spectacular transformation that 37 words have inspired in American culture and the lives of women as well as the many ways in which the spirit of this bold law has yet to be fully realized. (ESPN)
As We See It (True Jack Productions; Yes Studios; Universal Television; Amazon Studios): This empathetic comedy series follows 20-something roommates with Autism as they strive to get a job, keep a job, make friends, fall in love and navigate a world that eludes them. With the help of their families, aides and sometimes each other, these roommates experience setbacks and celebrate triumphs on their own unique journeys toward independence and acceptance. (Prime Video)
Mo (A24): The heartfelt comedy that follows Palestinian refugee Mo Najjar as he straddles the line between two cultures and three languages while constantly living one step away from asylum on the path to U.S. citizenship. Mo brilliantly captures the experience of immigrants and refugees navigating institutional systems. (Netflix)
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (A Peacock Original, SO’B Productions): This comprehensive feature delves deep into the life of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, her historic work and her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Through interviews with those who knew her, powerful archival footage and her own words, this documentary tells the story of Parks’ extensive organizing, radical politics and lifelong dedication to activism. (Peacock)
The U.S. and the Holocaust (Florentine Films and WETA, Washington, D.C.): Inspired in part by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s “Americans and the Holocaust” exhibition and supported by its historical resources, this documentary examines the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany in the context of global antisemitism and racism, the eugenics movement in the United States and race laws in the American South. (PBS)
We’re Here (HBO Max): This Emmy Award-winning series follows renowned drag queens Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela on a journey to find deeper truths in small-town America, spreading love and connection through the art of drag. The queens recruit a diverse group of local residents to share their stories, increase awareness and promote acceptance in their communities by participating in one-night-only drag shows, at times facing increased opposition and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation laws. (HBO Max)
In addition to this year’s honorees, the Honors selection committee is giving special recognition to the documentary series Profiled: The Black Man (Discovery+) produced by A. Smith & Co. Productions. The program will receive a certificate acknowledging its social justice content.
Lynnette Rice contributed to this report.
