The Television Academy has revealed the recipients of its 19th Television Academy Honors, recognizing six exceptional television programs and their producers who have harnessed the extraordinary power of television to advance social change.
The honorees consist of four scripted series and two non-scripted programs representing some of the most inspiring and meaningful television of 2025. They are Adolescence, Deaf President Now!, Dying for Sex, Heated Rivalry, Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television and South Park.
Each year, Television Academy Honors celebrates programs across numerous platforms and genres that raise awareness about complex issues facing society. This year’s honorees include compelling programs that address the scourge of social media and online misogyny; disability rights and the fight for deaf representation; end-of-life caregiving and the bureaucracy of cancer treatment; Black history, social justice and racism; political extremism, religious tribalism and media hypocrisy; and, LGBTQ+ representation, inclusivity in sports and toxic masculinity.
“Storytelling is a vital source of information regarding important social issues both locally and globally, and television has increasingly become a powerful platform for knowledge and discourse and a catalyst for social change,” said Television Academy chair Cris Abrego. “We have selected this year’s Honors winners to celebrate their commitment to educating and motivating television viewers around the world.”
Bobbi Banks, governor of the Sound Editors Peer Group, and Howard Meltzer, CSA, governor of the Children’s Programming Peer Group, co-chaired the Television Academy Honors selection committee for a second year.
“Our committee was inspired by the incredible range of submissions for this award,” said Meltzer. “In a year marked by political upheaval and a deepening commitment to inclusion, it was powerful to witness so many authentic stories shining a light on the issues shaping our world. Our community of visionary writers, producers, directors and other creative crafts continues to lead with bold, impactful storytelling that resonates and sparks meaningful conversations.”
“The selected programs tackle vital and timely topics,” added Banks. “Through the powerful stories they share and the voices they amplify, these shows highlight television’s unique ability to both inform and entertain while also sparking dialogue; encouraging empathy; and, when necessary, motivating action.”
Television Academy Honors are awarded to programming that aired between Jan. 1,-Dec. 31, 2025. Recipients will be celebrated during a recognition ceremony slated for Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center.
Recipients of the 19th Television Academy Honors are:
Adolescence (Warp Films, Matriarch Productions and Plan B for Netflix)
Netflix’s limited series Adolescence follows Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), a seemingly ordinary 13-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murdering his classmate. The series’ impact goes beyond industry acclaim with a storyline that tackles the dangers of social media and online misogyny. Adolescence has been made freely available as a teaching tool to all secondary schools across the UK as well as schools in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It has sparked discussion in the House of Commons and led to a roundtable with the creators, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Children’s Society and the Prime Minister. Globally, conversations surrounding digital safety and the digital age of consent have rocketed in its wake. (Netflix)
Deaf President Now! (Concordia Studio)
Deaf President Now! was born from the urgency to correct a missing chapter in civil rights history. In 1988, deaf students at Gallaudet University led one of the most unified and successful student protests in American history. In just seven days, they secured the university’s first Deaf president and helped pave the way for the ADA, which now protects nearly 25% of Americans. Led by Deaf filmmakers and a production team that was over 40% Deaf, the documentary sought to break norms in how disability stories are told with a visual and auditory storytelling approach that centers deaf perception rather than translating for hearing audiences. By embedding access, authorship and representation into the filmmaking, the project reflects the principles of self-determination and leadership that the movement demanded. (Apple TV)
Dying for Sex (FX/Hulu, 20th Television)
Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, she decides to leave her husband to explore the complexity of her sexual desires for the first time in her life with her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) by her side. While death, sex and female friendships have been the subject of countless stories throughout human history, Dying for Sex, the television adaptation of the hit “Wondery” podcast by the same title, is an honest story in the spirit of the real Molly. After a lifetime of shame, she threw out the rules about what “normal” was supposed to look like. The limited comedy series captures feelings of intimacy and aliveness as it follows a woman simultaneously falling apart and healing without self-judgement while exploring themes of end-of-life caregiving and the bureaucracy of cancer. (FX / Hulu)
Heated Rivalry (Accent Aigu Entertainment in association with Bell Media’s Crave)
Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry and a magnetic pull neither of them fully understands. What begins as a secret fling between two rookies evolves into a years-long journey of love, denial and self-discovery. Over the next eight years, the pair chase glory on the ice while struggling to navigate their feelings off it. Torn between the sport they live for and the love they can’t ignore, Shane and Ilya must decide if there’s room in their fiercely competitive world for something as fragile and as powerful as real love.
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television (HBO Documentary Films presents an Ark Media Production in association with HOORAE)
Seen & Heard is a living history of Black television — told by the people who made it, lived it and carried its impact into the world. At its core, it is a story about authorship: how Black creatives have fought to define their own narratives in an industry that too often erased them, and how their work has shaped the cultural DNA of America. The documentary links generations from Debbie Allen to Lena Waithe and from Oprah Winfrey to Cord Jefferson and Issa Rae. It arrives in a moment when the future of Black authorship in television is again under threat. By preserving and amplifying these voices, the film offers both a testament to what has been built and a blueprint for what must come next. (HBO Max)
South Park (Comedy Central)
For nearly three decades, South Park has stood as one of America’s most fearless cultural commentators, unafraid to satirize the powerful, take aim at hypocrisy and challenge audiences to reconsider the societal norms we’ve come to passively accept. In an environment where public discourse is increasingly siloed and policed, South Park has leaned into the power and responsibility of satire. Its commentary on political extremism, religious tribalism and the erosion of nuance is uniquely relevant, with episodes that spark conversation across ideological lines without resorting to provocation for provocation’s sake. Season 27 is a testament to the show’s enduring relevance and continued willingness to challenge both its audience and itself. South Park demonstrates how comedy can be a vital conscience in America. (Comedy Central)
