A red carpet rich with television champions sparked enthusiasm and deep passion amongst some of Hollywood’s leading minds in film.
This Monday marked the first Norman Lear Awards: For TV that Makes a Difference, known as the Sentinel Awards for the last 25 years, which is hosted annually by the Hollywood, Health and Society and the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center.
2025 signaled a year of remembrance and celebration for Norman Lear’s pivotal work in paving the way for realistic television that makes a difference. This show featured the cast, writers and producers from shows like “The Pitt,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Dying for Sex.” Members of these projects highlighted the significance of honest media, commented on AI and shone a beacon of hope for future generations entering the field.
Why medical stories matter
“Medical genres, medical shows in general, usually have universal appeal, because it’s one of the few environments that everybody comes into the world in and goes out of the world in. I think [‘The Pitt’] has also become kind of a lighthouse show in these times, because it reflects the best aspects of the people who are in the trenches. We want to make a show that honors them, and I think people are gratified to know they are still out there.”
— Noah Wyle, honoree and “The Pitt” actor and executive producer
“Healthcare workers are on the front line of disease and economic distress and societal woes, and they just don’t get that kind of big splashy headline. To be able to champion healthcare workers, who are true heroes, is something the world probably just needs.”
— Simran Baidwan, honoree and “The Pitt” writer and producer
Norman Lear’s legacy
“Norman’s entire ethos has been about how you can have art, but art can do good. Art can change the world. Art can change minds.”
— Simran Baidwan, honoree and “The Pitt” writer and producer
“I think now that we’ve changed the name of these awards in honor of Norman, I think people are going to sit up and take notice of this organization in a way that maybe they haven’t before. It was kind of Hollywood’s best kept secret about how we were feeding information.”
— Judith Light, HH&S Advisory Board
“Norman Lear spent his entire career finding ways to bring television into the reality that the audiences were living [in]. All those kinds of issues he made commonplace in television.”
— Martin Kaplan, founding director of Norman Lear Center
“Norman Lear has such an incredible legacy of storytelling and putting people in the spotlight that don’t typically get that treatment. Even our show, to have a show about a gay person is something that I didn’t know was going to be a thing growing up as an actor.”
— Miles Heizer, “Boots” actor
“I think [Norman Lear] paved a path. He blazed a trail, especially as someone who writes comedies and is interested in telling stories with a comedic angle that deal with tough subject matter that are often not addressed. I think every comedy really stands on his shoulders.”
— Kim Rosenstock, honoree and co-showrunner/writer “Dying For Sex”
AI as a tool, not a replacement
“There are great uses of AI for medicine and for all different kinds of machinery, but when you start crossing into an area where you take away an artistic, creative dynamic, you have to be very careful. We have to watch very carefully to see how this plays out as we’re going forward.”
— Judith Light, HH&S Advisory Board
“With AI and all the new developments, we’ll see what happens, but it’s always going to be run by human beings with their ideas and thoughts and values. Nothing’s going to take the place of that.”
— Lyn Lear, widow of Norman Lear and producer
“Something that AI has not yet figured out how to counterfeit is what in literature is often called interiority, the inner life of people. People know what the inner life is, but AI can’t figure that out from stealing material. If people simply tell stories that they own that come from the heart, they will remain the storytellers that we most want to hear from.”
— Martin Kaplan, founding director of Norman Lear Center
Telling your story
“I think the problem with this industry is it’s typically built on a foundation of desperation, and people are willing to do anything for anybody at any time. It shouldn’t be out of desperation. It should be out of love for the craft. It’s not transactional. Always keep it creative.”
— Jason Winston George, “Grey’s Anatomy” actor
“History is being written now by films, as much as books and documentaries, about valuable and interesting subjects, so all of you filmmakers, just keep going. They’re so important and so valuable.”
— Lyn Lear
“Tell your story. If it doesn’t hit with an executive, it’s their problem, not yours. Keep at it. Keep pitching. Keep telling your story.”
— Martin Kaplan, founding director of Norman Lear Center
“Tell the story you want to tell, and don’t let anybody tell you that it has to be twisted, or different, or more brand-friendly. Tell the story you want to tell.”
— Nikka Boyer, presenter and creator of “Dying for Sex”
“Find the fellow travelers and support each other. Circles rise together, I really believe that. Having a community makes all the difference, especially when you’re starting out.”
— Kim Rosenstock, honoree and “Dying For Sex” Co-Showrunner/Writer