Tuning in to Mental Health on TV

Friday, May 31 | 10-11am CT

According to the CDC, more than 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness, and yet there is still much misunderstanding and stigma surrounding the topic. This panel will explore the quantity and quality of today’s TV storylines on mental health, and how TV can help change the narrative around mental illness and seeking help.

PANELISTS:

• Erika Green Swafford, writer/producer, New Amsterdam, How to Get Away with Murder
• Adam Weissman, writer, The Good Doctor
• Sophia Galano, therapist and consultant, Single Drunk Female
• DJ Nash, creator/writer/executive producer, A Million Little Things

MODERATOR:

• Erica Rosenthal, PhD, Director of Research, Norman Lear Center

TV Screens for Cancer

Saturday, June 1 | 12-1pm CT



A conversation with creatives, survivors, and experts about how short and long-form narratives featuring cancer screenings, diagnosis, and treatment can inform viewers, inspire self-advocacy and proactive measures in real life, and demonstrate the factors that may disproportionately put certain groups and communities at higher risk.

PANELISTS:

• Erika Green Swafford, writer/producer, New Amsterdam, How to Get Away with Murder
• Adam Weissman, writer, The Good Doctor
• Stephen Hootstein, writer/producer, Chicago Med
• DJ Nash, creator/writer/executive producer, A Million Little Things

MODERATOR:

• Kimberly Roots (TV Line) 

TV Pre- and Post-Roe: A Look at Abortion Stories Over 50 Years 

Saturday, June 1 | 2-3pm CT

In 2022, the SCOTUS ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned nearly 50 years of federally-protected abortion access, subsequently triggering a chaotic and dangerous rise in hostile abortion bans and restrictive laws around reproductive health. In the two years since, many states have made it even more difficult - in some cases, nearly impossible — for people seeking abortion services to get the care they need.

Join us for a conversation about the evolution of abortion narratives and reproductive rights on screen, highlighting the complicated realities of abortion access and reproductive care in a post-Roe landscape, and why drama, satire, reality, and even comedy are necessary tools for navigating this uncertain period in reproductive rights. 

PANELISTS:

• Rina Mimoun, showrunner/producer, The Girls on the Bus 
• Kerry Bishé, actor, Halt and Catch Fire
• Caissie St. Onge, executive producer/showrunner, Busy Tonight, Busy This Week
• Erica Rosenthal, PhD, Director of Research, Norman Lear Center

MODERATOR:

• Kate Folb, director, Hollywood, Health & Society 

Trust in Medicine: Does TV Help or Hinder

Sunday, June 2 | 11:30am-12:30pm CT

A look at how medical shows help inform audiences on important health issues; but do they also create unrealistic expectations? Writers from several medical shows will share how they approach their work, while research from the Norman Lear Center on how audiences connect with and learn from TV storylines will be discussed.

PANELISTS:

• Adam Weissman, writer, The Good Doctor
• Stephen Hootstein, writer/producer, Chicago Med
• Erika Green Swafford, writer/producer, New Amsterdam, How to Get Away with Murder
• Erica Rosenthal, PhD, Director of Research, Norman Lear Center

MODERATOR:

• Kimberly Roots (TV Line) 

CLOSING NIGHT CELEBRATION!

Norman Lear’s TV for the People: Script Reading and Conversation

Saturday, June 1 | 7-9pm CT

Join actors Phil Rosenthal, Danny Pino, Dulé Hill, and many others in live script readings of classic episodes from Maude and Good Times. This will be followed by a conversation with Lear’s collaborators, friends, and fellow creatives about his groundbreaking approach to the intimate nature of TV, and how his legacy continues to shape the medium through the next generation of storytellers.