‘Norman Lear Awards’ Honor TV Shows That Spark Real-World Action, Including ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Shrinking’ And ‘Dying For Sex’

Amid an award ceremony, the results of a study were announced which revealed that a television show’s accurate portrayal of the inner workings of an emergency room influenced its audience in a positive manner

The Norman Lear Center and Hollywood, Health & Society honored seven series tackling bold storylines that responsibly inform audiences on critical topics. Those series included The Pitt, Matlock, Paradise, Grey’s Anatomy, Shrinking, Chicago Med, and Dying for Sex.

Marking its 25th year, HH&S has renamed its Sentinel Awards as The Norman Lear Awards for TV That Makes a Difference to honor the trailblazing TV writer and producer behind All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Maude and One Day at a Time. Lear, who died in 2023 at the age of 101, proved that TV shows can tackle consequential issues while also being massively popular entertainment.

During the ceremony, HH&S director Kate Folb told the audience that Lear was being celebrated for ‘his art, and his heart.’

HH&S provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate and timely information for storylines dealing with health, safety and security through consultations and briefings with experts.

Based at the Lear Center, HH&S is a free resource for writers, producers and others in search of credible information.

The organization worked closely with the creative team from The Pitt to ensure the series accuracy in portraying the health care system along as well front line workers and health advocates, and the patient experience.

After its premiere in January 2025, The Pitt became one of the most talked-about shows of the year. In its first season, the series covered one continuous 15 hour shift in an the extremely busy emergency room of Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital, with each episode unfolding in real-time over an hour. Noah Wyle stars in the series as Dr. Michael Rabinovitch (“Dr. Robby”). He is also an executive producer on the series.

The show’s accurate portrayal of life in the ER earned The Pitt Outstanding Drama Series at this year’s Emmy Awards, as well as acting honors for Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa.

The study from the USC Norman Lear Center found that The Pitt is doing far more than collecting Emmys, it’s changing hearts, minds, and behaviors. Through raw, authentic storytelling set inside a bustling emergency room, The Pitt has not only resonated deeply with medical professionals but also moved viewers nationwide to take real-world action on health issues such as organ donation and end-of-life planning.

In a survey of HBO Max viewers, nearly 90% of those who saw at least three episodes of The Pitt said the series reveals how systemic problems like understaffing affect patient outcomes and helps make provider stress relatable, all while remaining entertaining.

Some of the key takeaways from the study include:

• Organ Donation: Viewers who watched the organ donation storyline had more positive attitudes toward organ donation, greater intentions to register or discuss organ donation.
• End-of-Life Planning: Those who watched a storyline about family members navigating end-of-life decisions for their ailing father were more likely than non-viewers to say they intended to make concrete plans, such as creating a living will or designating a power of attorney. Over a third (38.8%) sought more information about end-of-life planning and 15.3% shared relevant resources.
• The Pitt resonates with medical professionals: In interviews with doctors, nurses, and trainees, health care providers said The Pitt reflected the realities of their work—from overcrowding and underfunding to the “hidden toll” of burnout. Many said the authenticity of its characters and stories made them feel “seen” in ways television rarely does.

The full results of the research can be found HERE.

“For 25 years, our work has been built upon the idea that suggests the ‘broccoli’ needs to be hidden in the ‘hamburger’ for audiences to stomach it.” said Erica Rosenthal, Director of Research at the USC Norman Lear Center. “The Pitt’s success is a powerful reminder that stories can prioritize accuracy, highlight systemic challenges through authentic characters, spark emotion, and inspire real-world action, all without sacrificing entertainment value.”

Joe Sachs, MD, Executive Producer and Writer of The Pitt, said that, “While our primary goal is to create compelling, complex stories, we are also committed to being current and accurate with our portrayal of medical topics. Because of this, public health education is a wonderful side effect of our dramatic storytelling.”

Attendees at the awards ceremony included Katherine LaNasa Noah Wyle, R. Scott Gemmill, and Dr. Joe Sachs who accepted the special Culture of Health award for The Pitt’s for its Season 1 body of work; Jason Ritter from Matlock, which was honored for its depiction of Addiction & Recovery; Wendie Malick from Shrinking, which was honored for its depiction of Caregiving; Sarah Shahi from Paradise, which was honored for its depiction of Climate Change; Jason George from Grey’s Anatomy, which was honored for its depiction of Clinical Trials; Nikki Boyer and Kim Rosenstock, Executive Producers of Dying for Sex, which was honored for its depiction of Breast Cancer; Angelina Spicer presenting to Chicago Med for its depiction of racial disparities in healthcare; Lyn Lear, Producer, Activist, and HH&S Advisory Board President; and HH&S advisory board member Judith Light. The full list of winners is available here.

Founded more than 20 years ago, The Norman Lear Center is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center studying and shaping the impact of entertainment and media on society. From its base in the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Lear Center builds bridges among faculty who study aspects of entertainment, media and culture. Beyond campus, it bridges the gap between the entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. For more information, visit www.learcenter.org.

In his remarks to the gathered creatives at the awards ceremony, Marty Kaplan, founding director of Hollywood, Health & Society, said that when people would ask Norman Lear about why he was so committed to his work, Lear would simply respond with two words: Stories Matter.

Now there’s evidentiary proof that Lear was right. Stories really do matter. They can change culture.