Abbott Elementary creator and star Quinta Brunson at the 2022 Sentinel Awards. Photo by Michael Jones | Read the press release
The 2022 Sentinel Awards, held Oct. 25 at the Television Academy, drew stars who included Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams of Abbott Elementary; Hannah Einbinder and Paul W. Downs of Hacks; Sarah Podemski from Reservation Dogs; Shoniqua Shandai, Jerrie Johnson and Meagan Good of Harlem; and Allison Miller from A Million Little Things. Sterlin Harjo, Reservation Dogs co-creator and showrunner, and Dopesick creator/writer/director Danny Strong accepted their honors in taped remarks.
In addition, Sara Tomko of Resident Alien, Lee Rodriguez from Never Have I Ever, Josh Banday of Upload and Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company, also were in attendance as guests and presenters.
Actress, producer and host Yvette Nicole Brown, whose credits include roles and appearances on Big Shot, Mom, Family Guy, Curb Your Enthusiasm and A Black Lady Sketch Show, which earned her a 2021 Primetime Emmy nomination, was the host.
This year the annual celebration, which honors outstanding TV entertainment that makes a difference, 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, presented the awards live for the first time in three years.
The Hollywood Reporter | Annenberg Media | Photo gallery | Press release | 2022 Sentinel Awards digital program
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.”
In 2021, NBC’s medical drama New Amsterdam received the Culture of Health Award for its third season. In addition to New Amsterdam, 11 other shows were celebrated for outstanding storytelling that informs and educates viewers, and helps them to make safer and healthier choices in their lives. These included The Good Doctor, Euphoria, Pose, The Handmaid’s Tale, This Is Us and Grey’s Anatomy. Their episodes covered such topics as Covid-19, abortion, mental health, addiction and racism. HH&S presented and livestreamed the 2021 awards show in a virtual event on Oct. 20. Check out the gallery of guests and honorees
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, The SCAN 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.
