Sweet Christmas, Marvel's Luke Cage is doing big things. The superhero Netflix series has just scored itself a Peabody nomination. The series joins many others in a bid to bring home the Peabody award for Entertainment. For anyone who's seen the series, I think we can all agree this is well deserved, but what are the show's odds of bringing home the award?
It's really hard to say for certain, as there's no set number of Peabody's that get awarded each year. One year could see five awards in entertainment, while the next could see nine. With awards going out to shows ranging from Game Of Thrones to Inside Amy Schumer, it's really tough to pin down how the committee decides who does and doesn't get an award. While it would appear competition isn't really a factor, you gotta think the class Luke Cage is in decides whether or not the series is relevant enough to garner some recognition.
Looking at some of the nominations, 2016 was a pretty good year for television. Luke Cage is listed right alongside some of the other most successful and talked about shows of the past year. Harlem's hero squares up with Atlanta, This Is Us, Stranger Things, and Beyonce's Lemonade just to name a few. That said, commercial success, buzz, nor competition are a factor in winning, as the Peabody committee looks instead to award excellence in quality and the message presented by the series.
Should Luke Cage manage to snag the Peabody, it will be the second time a Marvel Netflix series has been awarded the honor. The first instance was in 2016 when Jessica Jones snagged the award for a storyline that asked uncomfortable questions regarding power and consent. The series was also credited with for its unique storytelling and presentation of strong characters. Will Marvel and Netflix be lucky enough to have a repeat year?
If we're going off strong characters, I would say Luke Cage has good odds of snagging that Peabody. For starters, you have newly crowned Oscar winner Mahershala Ali alongside acting legends like Alfre Woodard. Of course, let's not forget the awesome job Mike Colter and Simone Missick did of anchoring the series from start to finish. I can't wait to see the two team up again in The Defenders later this year.
If Luke Cage scores the Marvel team another Peabody, we'll be the first to tell you. I'm certainly rooting for my second favorite Marvel series, are you?
You'll be able to see some of the Luke Cage cast later this year when The Defenders makes its premiere. Be sure to find its premiere date on our summer premiere guide and check out our midseason premiere guide to make sure you didn't miss anything there either!
