When Jessica Jones debuted in November, The Washington Post wrote that “for gritty thrills, it surpasses” Netflix’s other dramatic content.
On Friday, the Peabody Awards judges revealed that they hold the neo-noir detective show in quite high esteem as well.
Jessica Jones, based on the mature Marvel Max comic-book series, is one of three Netflix honorees announced on Friday morning by the 75th annual Peabody Awards, which are bestowed by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The Peabodys also recognised two other Netflix shows: the Aziz Ansari comedy Master of None and the African civil-war drama Beasts of No Nation.
The win by Jessica Jones is especially notable, though, because it is an uncommon Peabody recognition of comics-adapted material — the win necessarily reflects on the inspired source material. The series is part of Netflix and Marvel’s five-show collaboration that kicked off with Daredevil.
Jessica Jones has shown an audience appeal beyond some “superhero shows” — in part, of course, because the title character, uncannily portrayed by Krysten Ritter, is a failed superhero turned superpowered noir detective. (“One episode in, you’ll begin to get it: Jessica Jones is that Big Bang moment that sparked a meaner, edgier and more seductive Marvel universe,” The Washington Post Comic Riffs blog wrote in its review.)
In praising Jessica Jones, the Peabody judges said the show “asks unpopular questions about power and consent, while constructing vivid and compelling characters.
Friday’s entertainment honours are among 30 total prizes that the Peabody jurors award in such areas as news, public service and education. The winners will be feted on May 21 at a ceremony in New York.
