Media

Laraine Newman Hosts the 2024 Sentinel Awards

News Story

Newman, who is set to host this year's Sentinel Awards, talks to PEOPLE about 'SNL' and The Groundlings' 50th anniversary, as well as her memories with Norman Lear, who is being honored at the Oct. 24 awards ceremony

Hollywood, Health & Society Partners With Project Sleep for Accurate TV Depictions of Sleep Disorders

Press Release

Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Norman Lear Center, has announced a new partnership with Project Sleep, a nonprofit that aims to improve public health by raising awareness about sleep health, sleep equity, and sleep disorders.

Summer 2024

Newsletter

In our summer issue, we spotlight our fourth gathering in a series of mixer events titled Do the Write Thing that featured showrunners from The Big Cigar and All American: Homecoming; our panel discussions at the Austin Television Festivalfeaturing TV writers and health experts on topics including cancer, reproductive health, trust in medicine and mental health; information on colorectal cancer screenings found in our tip sheet; research on abortion and TV storylines; the lost fight against Big Tobacco; and the U.S. war on indigenous children.

Hollywood, Health & Society Juneteenth Conversation

News Story

USC Annenberg’s Hollywood, Health & Society held the latest in its series of “Do the Write Thing” mixers on Tuesday ahead of Juneteenth, with a conversation with showrunners Marqui Jackson and Janine Sherman Barrois.

ATX TV Festival Interviews: Director of Hollywood, Health & Society Program KATE FOLB

News Story

The Buzz recently attended the 13th season of the ATX TV Festival. Taking place in Austin, TX, this event celebrates the best in television with panel discussions, screenings of current and upcoming programs, and even table readings. What sets it apart from the rest is the opportunity to connect with other TV lovers and appreciate the medium.

Norman Lear’s Producing Partner Reflects on Creating Maude 1972 Abortion Episode: ‘It’s a Slice of Life’

News Story

Nearly six months after Norman Lear's death, his friends and colleagues looked back at a revolutionary storyline from his show Maude. On the closing night of the ATX TV Festival on June 1, Lear's former producing partner and A House on Brame Productions CEO Brent Miller, actress and writer Pamela Adlon, Somebody Feed Phil host Phil Rosenthal and Good Times showrunner Ranada Shepard reflected on Maude's groundbreaking abortion episode, which aired in 1972 on CBS.

Norman Lear honored with star-studded readings of ‘Maude’ and ‘Good Times’

News Story

Norman Lear may have passed away in December 2023 at 101 years old, but his legacy lives on through the shows the Emmy-winning icon created, like All in the Family, Maude and The Jeffersons. Over the weekend, a group of celebrities gathered in Los Angeles to stage live readings of episodes from two of his most famous shows.

The ‘Maude’ Abortion Episode Wouldn’t Air Today — Norman Lear Tried, and ‘It Wasn’t Green Lit’

News Story

In the heart of Texas, ATX TV Festival staged a live reading of "Maude's Dilemma" — wherein Bea Arthur's beloved character decides to get an abortion — as part of a closing night tribute to the late, legendary TV producer.

How Norman Lear’s Legacy Continues to Inspire Change Through Scripted Storytelling – Interview with Hollywood, Health & Society Program Director Kate Folb

News Story

ATX TV Fest’s closing night event this year honors the boundary-pushing work of the legendary Norman Lear through star-studded script readings from two of his most iconic shows, Maude and Good Times. “Norman Lear's TV for the People: Script Reading and Conversation” will be held on Saturday, June 1st, at 7:00 pm at ACL Live, with individual tickets available through AXS. The event is hosted by the Hollywood, Health & Society, a program from USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center.

Five Deeper-Cut Panels to Catch at ATX TV Festival

News Story

In 1972, Norman Lear’s CBS sitcom Maude broke ground when its lead character (played by future Golden Girl Bea Arthur) found herself unexpectedly pregnant at 47 and decided to have an abortion. Fifty years later, as reproductive rights are being aggressively attacked in Texas and across America, it’s an ideal time to interrogate how abortion stories are told onscreen then and now. Panelists include Rina Mimoun (showrunner, The Girls on the Bus), Kerry Bishé (actor, Halt and Catch Fire), Caissie St. Onge (executive producer, Busy This Week), and Erica Rosenthal, Ph.D. (director of research, Norman Lear Center). This panel is one of several being presented by Hollywood, Health & Society, a program from USC Annenberg’s Norman Lear Center that consults with the entertainment industry on storylines about health, safety, and security.