ATX TV Festival Closing Night Event to Celebrate Legendary Writer/Producer Norman Lear with “Maude” and “Good Times” Script Readings, Panel Conversation

ATX TV Festival Closing Night Event to
Celebrate Legendary Writer/Producer Norman Lear with
“Maude” and “Good Times” Script Readings, Panel Conversation

Plus “Interview with the Vampire,” “Orphan Black: Echoes,”
“Billy the Kid,” “The Way Home,” “Resident Alien,”
“Animal Control” and more join line-up

April 25, 2024, Austin, Texas: ATX TV Festival has announced additional programming for Season 13, taking place May 30-June 2, 2024, in Austin, Texas.

ATX TV Festival’s Closing Night event will feature Norman Lear’s TV for the People: Script Reading and Conversation, a night of comedy, conversation, and celebration honoring the life and legacy of legendary writer, producer, and activist Norman Lear.

The event will feature live script readings of the groundbreaking abortion episode from Maude (“Maude’s Dilemma”) and a classic episode from Good Times, with guest casts who will step into some of TV’s most iconic roles for the one-night event.

Following the script reading, Lear’s collaborators, friends, and fellow creatives will join for a conversation about his groundbreaking approach to TV that reflected and commented on the everyday American experience; his ability to use the sitcom format to invite audiences in to broader conversations about racism, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, sexual assault, and more; and how Lear’s legacy continues to shape the medium through the next generation of storytellers.

Confirmed participants include Katey Sagal (in the role of “Maude”), Phil Rosenthal (in the role of “Walter Findlay”), Danny Pino (in the role of “Dr. Arthur Harmon”), Dulé Hill (in the role of “James Evans Sr.”), and producer Brent Miller (former producing partner to Lear, and Owner/CEO of newly released A House on Brame Productions), with additional panelists to be announced soon.

The event will be supported by USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Hollywood, Health and Society, with additional partners to be announced soon. The event will be open to Festival badgeholders, as well as single ticket holders. Buy your Badge, Pass, or Ticket now at: atxfestival.com/attend

In addition to the previously announced Girls5eva Karaoke Night event, Universal Studio Group will also present a track of screenings and conversations, including:

• “Funny AF” – A panel featuring USG’s top comedians and comedy showrunners for a moderated discussion about their individual shows, how they got started in comedy, comedy for a mass audience, and more. Confirmed panelists include Hacks actor Mark Indelicato, Girls5eva creator/showrunner/executive producer Meredith Scardino, Resident Alien creator/showrunner/executive producer Chris Sheridan, and Lopez vs. Lopez co-creator/showrunner/executive producer Debby Wolfe.

• “Queer Storytelling” – A panel celebrating LGBTQIA+ series and moments that have opened new doors for queer storytelling, the kinds of stories we still want to see – and the creatives who are breaking the mold. Confirmed panelists include actors Mark Indelicato (Hacks) and Daniel Kyri (Chicago Fire).

• Resident Alien with Chris Sheridan & Alan Tudyk – A deep dive into the SYFY comedy about “a crash-landed alien” who begins to wrestle the moral dilemma of his original mission (killing all humans). Creator/showrunner/executive producer Chris Sheridan and star Alan Tudyk will join fans to discuss the show’s recently concluded third season - including guest stars, baddies, and what that season finale means for Harry and the residents of Patience (and Earth) going forward.

• Hacks Seasons 3 Finale Screening and Q&A – A screening of the finale episode from the upcoming third season of the award-winning comedy Hacks, from Max and Universal Television. Following the screening, cast member Mark Indelicato will join for a Q&A conversation.

New additions to the lineup also include:

• Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Season 2 Screening and Q&A presented by AMC Networks – Creator/executive producer Rolin Jones, executive producer Mark Johnson, and cast members will join for an advance episode screening from Season 2, followed by a conversation.
  
  The interview continues in season two of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. In the year 2022, the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) recounts his life story to journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian). Picking up from the bloody events in New Orleans in 1940 when Louis and teen fledgling Claudia (Delainey Hayles) conspired to kill the Vampire Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid), Louis tells of his adventures in Europe, a quest to discover Old World Vampires and the Theatre Des Vampires in Paris, with Claudia. It is in Paris that Louis first meets the Vampire Armand (Assad Zaman). Their courtship and love affair will prove to have devastating consequences both in the past and in the future, and Molloy will probe to get to the truths buried within the memories. The series returns May 12 on AMC and AMC+.

• Orphan Black: Echoes U.S. Premiere Screening and Q&A presented by AMC Networks – Set in the same universe as the critically acclaimed, cult phenomenon Orphan Black, Orphan Black: Echoes stars and is executive produced by Krysten Ritter (Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Love and Death), and “takes a deep dive into the exploration of the scientific manipulation of human existence, [following] a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unraveling the mystery of their identity and uncovering a wrenching story of love and betrayal.”
  
  The premiere screening will be followed by a conversation with executive producer/writer Anna Fishko (Pieces of Her, The Society, Fear the Walking Dead) and executive producer/director John Fawcett (co-creator of Orphan Black) moderated by Vanity Fair’s Maureen Ryan with additional panelists to be confirmed at a later date. Orphan Black: Echoes premieres Sunday, June 23 on AMC, AMC+ and BBC AMERICA.

In addition, Season 13 of the Festival will feature:

• “The Way Home: A Conversation with the Creators & Cast” – The stars of Hallmark Channel’s original series “The Way Home,” which follows three generations of women living together in a small farm town as they navigate a time-traveling journey across multiple eras to “find their way back to each other,” will join for an in-depth look at the breakout hit, including its recently-aired second season. Confirmed panelists include showrunners/co-creators/executive producers Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke, co-creator/executive producer Marly Reed, and cast members Andie MacDowell, Chyler Leigh, Evan Williams, and Sadie Laflamme-Snow.

• Billy the Kid Screening and Q&A with Tom Blyth and Donald De Line presented by MGM+ — MGM+ will host an advance screening of Billy the Kid Season 2, Part 2, which finds Billy (Tom Blyth) “caught in the middle of the Lincoln County War, a murderous conflict driven by money, greed and corruption.” Following the screening, star Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and showrunner/executive producer Donald De Line (Wayward Pines) will join for a conversation about bringing the Wild West to life and Billy’s journey throughout Season 2.

• “Breakfast with the Rosenthals” - Creator, writer, producer, host, and author Phil Rosenthal returns to Austin for another delicious discussion about the latest season of his hit Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil, his new book Just Try It!, and his podcast “Naked Lunch”… with a few special guests! Rosenthal will be joined by his daughter, Lily Rosenthal (co-author of Just Try It!), his brother Richard Rosenthal (executive producer and occasional-guest-star, Somebody Feed Phil), and his son Ben Rosenthal to discuss the family’s shared love of food, travel, and comedy, and why they just can’t help but work together.
  

• “Fireside Chat with Jeff Wachtel” – A wide-ranging conversation with Future Shack Entertainment CEO and former President of USA Network, Universal Content Productions, and NBCUniversal International Studios, Jeff Wachtel, about lessons learned in development, business models built to adapt and innovate, the future of streaming, and more.

• "Beau Willimon Breaks a Season of TV" – Ready, set, break! Writer/Producer Beau Willimon (House of Cards, The First, Andor) will break an entire season of TV with the audience... in just one hour.

• Pretty Little Liars: Summer School stars Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Malia Pyles, Zaria, and Mallory Bechtel, and creators/executive producers Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring will join for a sneak peek screening of episode 6 followed by a Q&A presented by Max.
  

• Animal Control Panel with the Cast — FOX Entertainment’s original workplace comedy Animal Control, starring Emmy Award nominee Joel McHale (Community), joins the line-up with a conversation featuring cast members Vella Lovell (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and Grace Palmer (Good Grief), who star as local Animal Control workers whose lives are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not.

• NEW PANELISTS – Presidential Forum: On TV, The Industry and What’s Next: Panelists Nicole Clemens, president, Paramount Television Studios; Lisa Katz, president, Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Entertainment; Erin Underhill, president, Universal Television; Katherine Pope, president, Sony Pictures Television Studios; and Karey Burke, president, 20th Television will sit down for a conversation about the current and future states of television following a year with two historic strikes.

• NEW PANELISTS – Hotel Cocaine Screening and Q&A presented by MGM+: MGM+ will host a screening of the premiere episode of the new crime thriller Hotel Cocaine, from creator and executive producer Chris Brancato (Godfather of Harlem, Narcos). The screening will be followed by a conversation with Chris Brancato, co-executive producer Maurice Compte, and cast members Danny Pino (Mayans M.C.), Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains), and Yul Vazquez (The Outsider).

Buy your Badge or Pass now at: atxfestival.com/attend

All of this joins the previously announced programming:

• Suits Retrospective

• Halt and Catch Fire 10-Year Anniversary with Creatives and Cast

• “Presidential Forum: On TV, the Industry, and What’s Next”

• “Industry” Season 3 Premiere and Q&A with Creators

• OPENING NIGHT: “Fantasmas” World Premiere with Julio Torres

• “Pretty Little Liars: Summer School” Screening and Q&A with Cast & Creatives

• “Fargo” Screening and Conversation with Noah Hawley

• “Adventures in Indie TV” with Duplass Brothers Productions

• “The Art of World-Building” presented by Sony Pictures Television

• “The History of TV” presented by RCA

• “Girls5eva” Karaoke Night presented by Universal Studio Group

• “Hotel Cocaine” Screening and Q&A with Creator and Cast

• The Pitch Competition Live Finale

• Breakthrough Awardee: Devery Jacobs

• “The Monologue Case Study with Mike Flanagan”

• “Trial By Content (Live!)”

• Panelists David Hudgins (FBI: Most Wanted), Graham Yost (Silo), and Jessica Rhoades (Black Mirror)

For more information on ATX TV’s year round events and programming, please visit atxtv.com.

ABOUT ATX TV FESTIVAL
ATX TV Festival is an annual event produced by ATX TV, taking place each summer in Austin, TX. As the leading television festival, it brings together fans and industry to celebrate the television medium by looking at its history, where it is now, and where it is headed. The festival consists of screenings followed by Q&As, panel conversations, and events (parties, live music, happy hours, hosted receptions, etc) and is known for reunions of classic series and cult hits. Screenings include never-aired pilots, canceled-too-soon series, current favorites, and world premieres. Panels conversations range from industry deep-dives to fan-focused conversations, along with discussions on representation (in front of and behind the camera) and responsibility in storytelling. The ATX TV audience is comprised equally of consumers and industry professionals, and ATX TV Festival is the only place they come together as one community to discuss and celebrate all aspects of #TVTogether.

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Lauren Kelcher Stevenson // atxtv@ssmandl.com