The Television Academy welcomed seven new members into its Hall of Fame Thursday night at a ceremony marking the opening of Televerse 26, the industry’s flagship annual festival. The 28th class included actors Ted Danson and Jean Smart, “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, longtime HBO Documentary Films chief Sheila Nevins, and the late “60 Minutes” correspondent Ed Bradley, inducted posthumously. The event took place at the JW Marriott L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
Sarandos used his remarks to trace Netflix’s original programming strategy back to a simple instinct about audience behavior. He described his approach as trying to anticipate what viewers want and then delivering it in a way that surprises them, explaining that this philosophy drove Netflix’s decision to release entire seasons at once rather than following a traditional weekly broadcast schedule.
That shift, he said, altered not just how people watch television but how the industry creates it. Sarandos has led Netflix’s push into original content since 2013, overseeing series including “House of Cards,” “Arrested Development” and “Orange Is the New Black” since becoming co-CEO in 2020.
Parker and Stone were honored on a fitting date, with the ceremony landing exactly 29 years after “South Park” premiered on August 13, 1997. Bill Hader introduced the pair and recounted the origin of one of the show’s most notorious jokes, drawing laughter from the ballroom, including from the honorees themselves and Sarandos, who was seated nearby.
Jean Smart, currently starring in HBO Max’s “Hacks,” enters the Hall of Fame having won seven Emmy Awards, making her one of only two performers to win in the lead, supporting and guest comedy categories. Her credits span “Mare of Easttown,” “Watchmen” and “Fargo,” and she recently earned a Tony nomination for her role in “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”
The Hall of Fame has recognized more than 150 individuals for lifetime contributions to television’s arts, sciences and management since its founding in 1984.
