‘Dark Winds’ Leads NAMIC Vision Awards Winners

AMC’s drama series Dark Winds won multiple National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) Vision Awards to lead all shows, the diversity organization announced Tuesday morning.

The freshman series won two NAMIC Vision Awards -- which celebrate original, multiplatform television programming that reflects the ethnic and cultural diversity of the viewing audience -- including best drama series, beating out strong competition from Fox’s 9-1-1, ABC's Grey’s Anatomy and Women of the Movement, and Paramount Plus’s The Good Fight.

Dark Winds star Zahn McClarnon also won a Vision Award for best performance in a drama series, besting Cliff “Method Man” Smith (Starz’s Power Book II: Ghost); Courtney B. Vance (AMC’s 61st Street), Patina Miller (Starz’s Power Book III: Raising Kana) and Viola Davis (Showtime’s The First Lady).

Also: Zahn McClarnon Hopes ‘Dark Winds’ Series Opens Eyes to Native American Actors, Stories: Multicultural Perspectives

CBS’ veteran series The Neighborhood took home the award for best comedy, topping ABC’s Abbott Elementary, black-ish and The Wonder Years, as well as Disney Plus’s Ms. Marvel.

Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani won the best performance in a comedy award for her starring role in the Disney Plus series, beating out Frankie Quiñones (Hulu’s This Fool) Omari Hardwick (Paramount Plus’ Fantasy Football) Raven-Symoné (Disney Channel’s Raven’s Home) and Tichina Arnold (CBS’s The Neighborhood) for the honor.

HBO Max’s Pause with Sam Jay was the only repeat winner, taking honors in the Variety/Talk Show category for the second straight year.

“We are honored to recognize the outstanding achievements of the 2023 Vision Award recipients, whose innovative programming has not only captivated audiences but also reflects our society's diverse voices and perspectives,” NAMIC president and CEO A. Shuanise Washington said in a statement. “The Vision Awards celebrate excellence in programming that pushes the boundaries of creativity, storytelling, and inclusivity. The work celebrated this year reminds us of the power of diverse representation and the importance of telling authentic stories that resonate with viewers from all walks of life.”

The complete list of the 2023 NAMIC Vision Awards appears below:

Animation

More Than I Want to Remember – MTV Entertainment Studios

Best Performance – Comedy

Iman Vellani (Ms. Marvel) – Disney Plus

Best Performance – Drama

Zahn McClarnon: (Dark Winds) – AMC

Children’s

Sesame Street – Sesame Workshop

Comedy 

Ms. Marvel – Disney Plus

Digital Media – Short Form 

Historian’s Take: What is #LandBack? Inside New Native American TV Shows – PBS 

Documentary 

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America ReFramed Special – American Documentary, Inc.

Drama

Dark Winds – AMC

Lifestyle 

Delicious Miss Brown – Food Network 

News/Informational

The Color of Care – Smithsonian Channel

Original Movie or Special 

REVOLT x Michelle Obama: The Cross-Generational Conversation – REVOLT

Reality

Why Not Us: Southern Dance – ESPN Plus

Reality – Social Issues 

The Hair Tales – Onyx Collective/OWN/Hulu

Sports 

After Jackie – History Channel

Variety/Talk Show

PAUSE with Sam Jay – HBO Max