Sentinel Awards

Emmy winner, comedian, producer, writer and actor Larry Wilmore will host the 2023 Sentinel Awards, which celebrate some of the best and most challenging TV entertainment of the past year that made a difference in viewers’ lives. The red-carpet event will be held on Dec. 6 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. The final 11 honorees, submitted by broadcast, cable and streaming networks and representing a range of topics on health, safety and security, will be announced at the ceremony.

Wilmore is host of the podcast “Black on the Air,” where he interviews guests from politics, entertainment and sports. He hosted The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore on Comedy Central, which premiered in 2015 and ran for nearly two years, and he has written for In Living Color, The PJ’s, The Office, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Wilmore was also creator, writer, and executive producer of The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him a 2002 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and a Peabody Award in 2001.

Last year’s awards, held in October at the Television Academy, drew stars such as Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams of Abbott Elementary; Hannah Einbinder and Paul W. Downs of Hacks; Sarah Podemski from Reservation Dogs; Shoniqua ShandaiJerrie Johnson and Meagan Good of Harlem; and Allison Miller from A Million Little ThingsSterlin Harjo, Reservation Dogs co-creator and showrunner,and Dopesick creator/writer/director Danny Strong accepted their honors in taped remarks. Actress, producer and host Yvette Nicole Brown, whose credits include roles and appearances on Big Shot, CommunityMom, Family Guy, Curb Your Enthusiasm and A Black Lady Sketch Show, which earned her a 2021 Primetime Emmy nomination, was the host.

The annual celebration recognized 12 shows whose storytelling tackled powerful and timely topics, including Emmy nominees and winners Dopesick, Abbott Elementary and Hacks, as well as A Million Little Things, Never Have I Ever and Reservation Dogs, the breakout coming-of-age series about four indigenous teen-age friends living in rural Oklahoma. Reservation Dogs received a Culture of Health Award for its entire Season 1 body of work that covered healthcare and economic disparities, aging and caregiving, mental health, suicide and racism.

Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, is the presenter of the awards event. 

For more than 20 years, the Sentinel Awards have recognized exemplary achievements in TV storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives. For audiences here and around the world, television often provides both entertainment and factual information about a wide range of health topics and social issues. Today, fighting widespread misinformation with facts has never been more important, and HH&S helps TV storytellers find the facts they need to “get it right.”

As the entertainment landscape expands and programs continue to push boundaries, topics such as disease, injury, maternal health, disability, violence, discrimination and more are being explored through dynamic storytelling.

Funding for Hollywood, Health & Society comes from the California Dept. of Water Resources, the California Health Care Foundation, End Well, Future of Life Institute, John Pritzker Family Fund, Ogilvy, the Plastic Pollution Coalition, the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute. The program, now celebrating more than 20 years of service to the TV entertainment industry, serves as a free resource by providing expert consultations and briefings, panel discussions, screenings, custom research trips, social media and more. 

2023 Sentinel Awards

Star Presenters

Kathryn Hahn, Debbie Allen, Adam Brody Announced As Presenters for 2023 Sentinel Awards

2023 Sentinel Awards

Larry Wilmore Hosts the Sentinel Awards

Larry Wilmore, best known for his work on The Daily Show and The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, will host this year’s edition of the Sentinel Awards for Hollywood, Health and Society.

2023 Sentinel Awards

Larry Wilmore Set as Sentinel Awards Host

Norman Lear Center trophy celebrates meaningful TV storytelling that makes a difference.

2022 Sentinel Awards

A Red-Carpet Celebration

Quinta Brunson, Hannah Einbinder, Tyler James Williams and Sarah Podemski were among the shining stars on the red carpet.

Must Watch

The Sentinel Champion

Introducing the world’s newest super figure—The Sentinel—who’s been called on to help champion and honor TV’s hero storytellers.

2021 Sentinel Awards

A Virtual VIP Affair

The event, co-hosted by Gloria Calderón Kellett and Mike Royce, honored NBC’s New Amsterdam with an award for Season 3. 

2020 Sentinel Awards

We Heart TV

The event marked its 20th year, honoring shows that included Normal People, The Good Fight, Pose and I May Destroy You.

Must Watch

‘This Is Us’ Recognized

Mandy Moore talks about her character’s multi-episode Alzheimer’s storyline, an honoree in the 2020 Sentinel Awards.

2020 Sentinel Awards

TV’s Toughest Topics

The virtual event reminded everyone that stories that tackle topics such as abortion, racism and immigration make a difference.

2019 Sentinel Awards

Special Guests, Special Night

Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us was among the honorees, which also included Chernobyl, Grace and Frankie and The Resident. 

Video Highlights

A Magical Evening

Watch some of the best moments from the 2019 red-carpet event, a sometimes moving and deeply personal ceremony.

Archive

Red Carpet Memories

Check out our gala events from past years. Pictured: Justin Baldoni, co-star of 2015 comedy winner Jane the Virgin.